


Bare Thread

by starrymeis (meiqis)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Junhui is a vet nurse, M/M, Magical Realism, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Wonwoo works as barista, mentions of soulmatery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22040353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meiqis/pseuds/starrymeis
Summary: The surprising thing now was that while the current explanation of “You looked kind of tired there. My treat” could be taken as Wonwoo merely being observative and attentive, Junhui knew better. Because right there, through his magical armor and protective bubble, a little yarn-like connection had been established, too thin to be based on pure-blooded witchcraft and yet too sturdy to be born from Jun’s crush alone. Not to mention he was psychic, not a manipulator. He was not able to build a connection like this on the subconscious, it took time, effort, and usually a lot of magical mirroring, neither of which he had done. Even if he had, it didn’t explain the sudden free drink, which only sent him into circles. Because attentive Wonwoo didn’t explain the bond, and the bond didn’t explain the attentiveness, and at the same time he couldn’t explain the bond because - for a fact - the waiter was no witch, there was no magical vibe, no bewitched aura, none that would give any of them away.In short: it was a mystery.
Relationships: Implied Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan, Jeon Wonwoo/Wen Jun Hui | Jun
Comments: 2
Kudos: 47





	Bare Thread

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello! (─‿‿─)
> 
> First off, I'm glad I got to release this story before the end of the year and I'm incredibly thankful to [Gems](archiveofourown.org/users/starrywons/works) once again to not only help me write this story but also she's the only reason I did in fact write it, as it is based on an idea she came up with °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
> 
> There's actually only two things I regret about this story, for one, I didn't go in with a decisive plot in mind so I really made it all up on the go, and secondly, I wrote this over the course of nearly half a year, meaning it isn't really consistent in writing nor portrayal and as this, especially, is my first time writing something Wonhui.... pls be lenient with me? ｡ﾟ(｡ﾉωヽ｡)ﾟ｡
> 
> That said, I do hope some of you will enjoy this read and I will put some random notes at the end of it, including little explanations I thought might be useful. Have fun! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

Albeit Jun was anyone but a person to eat at home, mostly for the convenience of not having a mess in his own kitchen, those dishes he got outside were usually pretty limited. For example, there was a nearly weekly date with his favorite child Renjun to get proper Chinese hot pot rather than some poor instant imitation, and he was too much of a regular at the chicken place around the corner for Hansol not to know his order by heart. But none of his usual places should normally include the little corner store he was currently sat at.

In its defense, the coffeeshop was a pretty cozy one - couches that were just the right degree of worn out, when the fabric and leather were still in proper shape but the cushions gave in perfectly softly when sitting down; the little shelves were decorated with vintage looking books and succulents and the cheesecake was to die for. Now one (read: Wen Junhui) might wonder how he had ended up here, and it had somehow started with Joshua’s neighbor Wonho needing some tea against sore muscles for one of those ugly gym rats - not that Wonho was ugly, but about any other guy who went there and thought they should rather become a jock than a proper human being - and there he had met co-owner Mingyu who he had somehow clicked with. Not that the latter was aware of Wonho’s and Jun’s little shady business of magical traits but neither was the foreigner going to spill the beans. Anyways, getting along well with Mingyu and Joshua’s clinic being stuck somewhere between the gym and the coffeeshop had led to the younger simply dragging Jun along whenever he headed there. Supposedly it was just to visit the gym owner’s best friend but honestly, it was likelier he just went there for the muffins and other sweet treats.

So to Jun, who could just brew some tea at the clinic with all the plants they take care of and that Joshua has not yet killed off, mind you, it was groundbreaking to be sitting at their usual table all over again, listening to Mingyu rumble on about customers at the gym and how much he loves Wonho’s protein drinks, while his eyes are most definitely not drifting off to the counter. The guy standing there was only Mingyu’s best friend, not the epitome of raw beauty similar to an unpolished gem stone or some other cheesy comparison. Definitely not.

“Hyung, are you even listening?”

It took the witch another few seconds of processing he had been asked a question but that might partly be faulted to his lemonade having been stolen from him, including the straw pulled from his lips and some remaining drops embarrassingly spilling down his chin. As his companion dabbed away on the mess, Jun finally had a chance to take in the younger’s pout, immediately feeling guilty about it. Usually he was more attentive, he swore on that, and even though those stories about dumbbells and bench presses and Russian squats or whatever mostly sounded like riddles to him, he could relate to the exhaustion of having to deal with idiots of some sort easily. After all, he was literally working for a white witch killing plants which was, like, the total opposite of what they were supposed to do. (In a way, he just assumed it as an exaggeration to Joshua’s general black thumb amplified by his crush on the necromancer across the street who usually protected them from a bigger mess and massive delay.)

Embarrassment immediately settled over the older and whereas teasing Mingyu usually came as easy to him, it was normally done while giving him his full attention, not by getting distracted by awfully charming eyes that looked so cold it definitely didn’t fit the warm voice that seemingly transcended the whole of the room. “‘m sorry, Gyu,” he thus just sheepishly said, making grabby hands for his lemonade that was returned to him immediately while his brain pondered over a useful excuse. Eventually he only came up with only a half-lie, namely, “I guess I’m just really tir-”

“Here,” the same warm voice he had thought about just one second before interrupted, making Jun freeze up when a steaming cup of tea was placed in front of him. Tea he had not ordered, as he might point out. Except that was not the weirdest thing about it, aside from the blush and the general awkwardness of the current moment, there was something underlying meaning to this making him itchy and that came not from assuming Wonwoo had any intentions towards him.

No, the weird thing was much rather magical. As a psychic based witch, with the ability to read emotions of humans, animals and plants alike, he had grown too accustomed to shutting off his feelings to others. Naturally, considering a young and innocent little boy Jun had felt all the turmoil and joy of the people surrounding him, it had been more than overwhelming so before he had even attempted handling his powers, he had needed to find an effective way to shut all these connections off. In a way, it was like morphing his aura into an armor, repelling emotions as if they were insects smelling those sprays. Only certain people made it past that armor without him having to willingly let them in, witches that were trained and fine attuned to those around them, like Joshua and Jeonghan, Wonho and Renjun, they didn’t do it knowingly but Junhui could feel the connection like a cord tying them together. It was not voluntary but it was a instinct born from their abilities, something he could sense with ease, something that told them to stay close together and while there was no longer a need to come together in covens and meet in secret, those old yearnings for cohesion was still within their blood.

The surprising thing now was that while the current explanation of “You looked kind of tired there. My treat” could be taken as Wonwoo merely being observative and attentive, Junhui knew better. Because right there, through his magical armor and protective bubble, a little yarn-like connection had been established, too thin to be based on pure-blooded witchcraft and yet too sturdy to be born from Jun’s crush alone. Not to mention he was psychic, not a manipulator. He was not able to build a connection like this on the subconscious, it took time, effort, and usually a lot of magical mirroring, neither of which he had done. Even if he had, it didn’t explain the sudden free drink, which only sent him into circles. Because attentive Wonwoo didn’t explain the bond, and the bond didn’t explain the attentiveness, and at the same time he couldn’t explain the bond because - for a fact - the waiter was no witch, there was no magical vibe, no bewitched aura, none that would give any of them away.

In short: it was a mystery.

A whole man-made, awfully attractive, irresistible human mystery that was currently looking at him with expectant eyes and driving the heat back into Jun’s cheeks. No longer able to hold up their staring contest, he looked down and wrapped his fingers around the mug, silently asking the heat to retreat a bit so he could take a tentative sip only to be surprised by the taste. It should taste of herbs, based on the color, but it didn’t, there only was the underlying sweetness of every tea prepared by Joshua ever, confusing Jun all the more. Suddenly he was thankful for his acting experiences before because it aided him in masking his inner turmoil when he looked up again and declared, “Thank you. It tastes really good, too.”

For a second, too long to go by unnoticed but too short for the witch to want to dwell on it, confusion showed up in Wonwoo’s eyes, emotions being transferred like ripples thanks to their connecting thread, a one-way street, as if there was an urge to want to point something out. As soon as it came, it disappeared, and the waiter only exchanged some brief words with Mingyu before going back to work but Jun was still dwelling on the magically sweet taste of his tea. Secretly he wished he could have one of those every morning. At least it actually tasted good in comparison to Joshua’s unholy mixtures that were only saved by that little spark of magic. (Really, how was Joshua even such a talented healer when he had no idea of how plants worked? Good thing his crush was a necromancer and not a garden witch… Though, that probably also explained a bit too much…)

“Hyung,” Mingyu called out again and, before Junhui could even react, a warm hand was pressed to his forehead, touching his skin but not doing so thanks to his messy fringe. “Are you getting sick maybe? Is Joshua overworking you again?”

From the distance, and thanks to the little movements of the yarn, he could feel a short heat burning through his veins, eyes darting over to see Wonwoo looking at them but those thoughts were quickly pushed aside. Until he had this whole thread thing figured out, he should rather focus on the immediate matter - named Mingyu. “He wouldn’t dare,” Jun easily reassured, mostly because he became a whiny chaos when tired and stressed so Joshua rather sends him home. “It might just be something in the air. Don’t worry about it, I got some tea to fight it off.”

And albeit the younger still looked a bit worried, at least the witch was actually saying the truth. He was content with the tea that warmed him inside out and any cold he might have caught would surely be fended off for another several weeks now.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


A witch’s magic, not unlike the sea, was dependant on seasonal changes and the cycle of the moon. If merely logically approached, a garden witch, so used to pouring their magic into the greens and herbs, might feel more restless when all their little friends were buried beneath piles of snow and ice. In that aspect, he was glad he was not as connected to nature’s magic, not when winter was already depressing enough without having to deal with a bunch of hibernating friends.

That didn’t mean he was entirely unaffected. In his case it simply was about the moon, it felt more silent around him when the hovering comet was not illuminated by the sun, as if the lack of light would no longer highlight the emotions of those surrounding him. On the contrary, the nights before, of and after a full moon had him feeling restless, it was harder to concentrate when more of his energy went into keeping his walls shielding him and at the same time he was like an overcharged battery. Which was, among others, the reason as to why he found himself standing in front of a familiar coffeeshop without Mingyu by his side for once.

His hopes were shattered and fulfilled at once when the sole employee turned out to be Wonwoo, currently busy polishing some glasses and cleaning the display, and thriving with life. The thread that connected heart to heart was tingling, as if anticipating something Jun couldn’t put his finger onto, but he was aware of the short wave of guilt that overcame him. It was a Thursday evening, close to midnight, and he was the only person nearby, more so considering entering. For a moment he even considered leaving, it would have been another case with Seungcheol who always seemed so welcoming to everyone, and as the owner of the café it seemed to be more of a responsibility to take care of any guest. But Wonwoo was likely about to close down and yet here Junhui was, debating on whether he should go in, after all, or just deal with one of Joshua’s horrible teas. Pretty sure he had another caddy of eye candy at home that might just knock him out with the intensity. Something about it resembling Joshua’s feelings for Jeonghan or whatever.

The only problem was that, as if sensing his unease, the barista had chosen just the right moment to turn around and that little smile appearing on his lips was really not fair to Junhui’s heart. It missed a beat or two. Before he could pursue some smart idea like running away and then acting as if he had never shown up the day after, his plans were crossed once more as the dark haired approached the door and opened it. For Junhui specifically. And he was kind of weak towards manners like these.

“Are you coming in or do you want to freeze out there?” A warm voice greeted him, lulled him in like the flames in a fireplace, wrapped around the thread connecting them to warm him inside out. Hospitality had always been a well treasured trait among witches, they lived off it. Whether it was because fireplaces played such great role in more important rituals or merely because of times during which they sought solace and protection from their kind, Junhui had not yet been able to figure out, but it was an unmistaken characteristic of theirs anyways.

“I wasn’t sure whether I should still bother you so late…” There was honesty dripping from his words but the witch wasn’t unable to take up the little invitation, stepping inside and carefully approaching the counter. He didn’t even need to look around to see where the younger was, their magical connection was enough to let him know all about it, including the comfort born from open arms. Metaphorical, in this moment.

“You don’t need to worry, you’re always welcome here.” Was this fair in any way? No, not at all. It was only reassuring that Wonwoo didn’t comment on whether or not the embarrassed heat he felt creeping up his neck was leaving some color to his flesh or not. “So? What takes you here so late at night? Surely it’s not the weather outside.”

It was, indeed, not the weather outside. The nights had become more chilly recently and when the Chinese had left his apartment, he had done so on a whim, in his loungewear and with his keys and wallet packet. Not even his phone had he taken along, the electricity always messed with his system when he was overly sensitive like this. And honesty was still his best trait, so he managed a little smile while explaining, “I can’t sleep during full moon nights. It’s messing with me.”

Wonwoo let out a knowing sound in response and, while doing so, already started to prepare whatever drink had not been ordered. If the witch was right and there was some spark of magic within the other’s blood, it wasn’t even necessary. It was intrinsic knowledge to some and with how attentive Wonwoo could be, Jun wasn’t exactly sure they weren’t similar in that way. 

“My cats are the same. They get really active during these days. Aji too,” the younger chattered and if any possible, the witch would prefer to liquify that soothing voice just so he could pour it into his bathtub and use it as antidote to full moon agitation. Or maybe he should first wonder as to why he was so affected by a man who was no more than an acquaintance to him. If only he was more certain about the witchcraft in his blood, he could easily blame it on the thread between them, this oddly sturdy but so fragile looking bond. And sturdy it was, from how subtle the vibrations were when he flicked his enchanted fingers against it, such a striking difference to how Jeonghan’s started to shake despite looking heavier than this. “Did you say something?”

With wide eyes did Junhui look up at the barista. Had he said something? He was not really the kind to just ramble on and even now his lips were closed tightly so… A quick glance down showed him the thread was still thrumming ever so softly, as if charged with some silent energy and it was just so oddly fascinating. “You must have imagined,” he muttered only, pressing his lips together before asking, “Are you never affected by the moon?”

“I never paid attention to that.” Honesty. As much as it was a trait he appreciated about himself, he loved hearing it in other people’s voices as well. Equally it was infuriating at this moment. To never have considered the moon was a very un-witchy trait, and that meant he had to put a mark to the contra side of his mental list. So Wonwoo was affected by magic sparks coming in contact with that thread but he did not care about his surroundings in the same way as Junhui and his kind did. It was like a puzzle he had to solve and he hadn’t done any of those in years now. 

He nearly shrieked when suddenly fingers caressed his elbow, touch burning through the fabric of his sweater, but it only resulted in a slight flinch and an amused smile from Wonwoo’s side who said, “Let’s sit down for a bit. You look tired and we’re alone anyways.”

“You don’t have to-” Jun wanted to protest, he felt like he was imposing when he stuck around until after opening hours. His protest was cut short by the dark haired guiding him towards one of the cozy seats, one that had already been cleaned and readied for the night, yet they were about to use it. 

Another tinge of guilt overcame him as he noticed that. He could’ve just asked for his drink to-go and once again, he found his upcoming complaint cut off when Wonwoo pointed out, “It’s actually nice to have a bit of company right now. Not a lot of people come by at this time so I was getting bored already.”

“So you didn’t hear about this vicious werewolf who attacks innocent baristas during nights like these?” His mischievous side was out before he had noticed but when seeing the amusement glimmer in the younger’s eyes, Junhui didn’t even mind that he might have come off as a bit too much. Although, weren’t all people turning weird at this time of night, witch or not?

“I don’t think werewolves exist. But if they did, don’t you think they’d much rather hunt pretty boys with innocent eyes?”

Was he flirting? Was Wonwoo flirting? The red shade of the string gave emotions away if wanted, and it felt neither like aggression or love so it was connected to sexuality and that- As if the words had not been enough to get the witch all awkward, the color definitely was. Instantly he ducked his head down, fingers thrumming against his mug that suddenly seemed to be calling for some cooldown. It was a nice distraction anyways.

“So you don’t believe in the supernatural?” Jun prompted, looking for an aversion even to their topic of talk before he’d go crazy with feelings overflowing and feeling all too intense under the spotlight of moonlight. There really was too much theurgy in the air and the tension surrounding their table didn’t aid him at all.

“I don’t think werewolves would be running around, howling at the moon and attacking civilians,” Wonwoo corrected and, somehow, that was reassuring. Despite witches having somewhat come out to the public, some people still didn’t think it was true. Like a conspiracy theory or in the same way homosexuality was just a phase - witches weren’t heal, magic didn’t exist. A contradiction to events like the Spanish Inquisition and unsettling, because their abilities were so evident, so obvious, but also soothing, because it meant that they could still remain in hiding in certain places and if only they craved to.

“Do you know one?” Jun teased, having regained his confidence throughout the last seconds and now he didn’t feel shy looking at his opposite from over the rim of his lifted mug anymore. The tea tasted heavenly. The herbs remained a mystery to him but there it was again, this honey-like sensation that always gave away magic, no matter how well hidden it was. Some senses were easy to trick, enchantments could be casted without being seen or heard, like he had done when snapping the thread or cooling his mug. Not all senses could be clouded at once, though. Certain spells left a trace of perfume, potions always had this certain aroma to it, and charged fingers felt different to the bare skin than humane ones. It was just so confusing. Was it merely a tea made by another witch that Seungcheol had happened to order or was it actually Wonwoo, with his alluringly dark eyes and this thread between them?

Currently the younger was busy shaking his head in denial, little smile tugging up the corners of his mouth. “I don’t. And if I were to know one, I’m sure I would have already questioned them about everything that’s there to know.”

Slightly Jun tilted his head in question. Psychic witches usually liked to get to the core of everything, because emotions were trickery, an illusion, so to find the source of troubles they had to go in deep. Healers, most of the times, seemed to go by feeling, they located the bad and pulled it out as gently as possible but they didn’t question it more often than not. Witches like Wonho, who relied on objects to transfer his charms, usually were more attentive towards the result, they worked for the finish line and did not regard the start. It could both be traits of being a psychic witch or just natural curiosity, in Wonwoo’s case. All it did was get Junhui’s head spinning, at the moment, so he swallowed down his contemplations with another sip of tea. Wonwoo being a witch or not, it really tasted great.

“I like to inform myself about stuff,” the employee explained. “I don’t want to make rushed decisions or say hasty words because I was blind to the topic. And there’s a lot in this world that is worth knowing about.”

He could also be a book witch. The kind who based all their magic on spells they had composed, who kept collecting and reading grimoires and with every sentence read, their magic would increase, soaking up the abilities like a wet sponge. In theory it was a comfortable kind of magic, in reality, they forged a bond with each book so if someone wanted to hurt a literary, they would only need to burn down the library and it would slowly get the witch’s heart crumbling as well. It was cruel irony, because grimoires that had established bonds also took in the life force that was yet unused to restore themselves from the damage. A cycle, an ending exchange. The witch got stronger through books but the books got their magic from the witch.

“So would you rather shoulder the burden of knowing all good and bad there is in this world or would you prefer refusing that knowledge considering what pain it brings?” Jun asked, not really thinking about it. Was the tea maybe affecting him more than the moon? Or was it a metaphor towards his own abilities that could hurt him as much as they could delight him for what his clients felt was mirrored on him. Because of the intensity of these emotions oftentimes, he didn’t exactly enjoy going out to propaganda himself as a healer of the heart’s matters. Some people were selfish, demanding the help without consideration to the damage, and turning someone down was not his strong suit.

“I’d shoulder it,” Wonwoo asked, much to the older’s surprise who looked up with slowly blinking eyes. “I’d rather see the truth as it is than never see anything. The bad things can hurt but I’m sure the good things can balance them out as well. If the bad would prevail, I don’t think anyone of use could still be here.”

“Wise words,” the witch mumbled into his cup before taking one last tentative sip. His chest felt warm inside out now and the conversation that had accompanied the drink had been interesting, to say the least. Confusing, yes, but there was something unexplainable calming to the current situation that not even the moon could get him as antsy as he had been before. “They’re fitting for the time…” It was late, way later than he’d enjoy sticking around for usually, not wanting to intrude on personal time. Not even when Wonwoo reminded him of an owl, sharp eyes and wisdom in their beak, they would fit this late night well.

“It’s getting late. You should head home soon, Junhui.”

Even his name sounded like honey when it came from Wonwoo and it had the Chinese feeling all gooey inside. Still, there was an underlying knowledge to that suggestion, as if his host knew more than him. So had this tea, with all its intensity of bringing down his energy, been an order from Seungcheol or a result of Wonwoo’s magic after all?

He was turning in circles, he was aware of that, but this sometimes was still a sensitive topic to some and Jun didn’t want to breach it just like that. Instead he put on one of his small and charming smiles and got up. “Thank you for letting me in. And the tea. You should make sure to get home soon, too,” he recited softly, not wanting to breach the tender air around them by seeming too brashful. 

“I will,” the younger still promised during the short escort to the door, and then it was already over, their thread disconnected by the door closing and lock turning. The sound echoed a tad too loudly within Junhui’s ear but he didn’t mind. Not when he had only just noticed he had never paid for the tea. Yet, when he wanted to turn around to ask for Wonwoo’s attention once more, he found the shop covered in darkness and the curtains pulled close.

Had time morphed around him or had something more taken place? He wasn’t certain but sleepiness was creeping up on him, and he wasn’t one to discard the seldom rest of a full moon night.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


Lunch with Hansol was always something to take delight in. Not that their intern wasn’t a perfect being in itself but seeing Hansol interacting with the animals and calming them down whenever Junhui advices him to, and just sitting in their little break room and explaining a movie he had seen the night before were two different things in itself. Even Jun’s magic liked the vet student, the calm and steady emotions did things to his energies that always were on the search for emotions nearby when he dared to let loose for a bit.

Currently, his walls were still down, and Hansol was talking about this movie - The Accountant; something about an autistic genius in maths who spent his life washing money for the crimes and then somehow got caught in company affairs when hired by a third party - so he sensed rather than he heard the commotion from outside. It was like stormy waves crashing against cliffs, it threatened to swallow him up no matter how positive they were, so he was still busy putting his walls up by the time Mingyu came tripping into their backroom.

“Hyung,” the gym owner whined and, so very casually as if it were his living room and not someone else’s clinic, dropped down on the remaining empty chair. A termos was placed in front of the witch whilst the intruder went on, “I was just stopping by the café when Wonwoo told me to give this to you. How did you manage to have Wonwoo give you something? He never made tea for me to take away!”  
“Who’s Wonwoo?” Hansol asked before Junhui could even consider doing damage control. As much as he could do that even for he felt baffled too, looking at the steel can as if it held the answers to the questions of life (“Forty-two,” the Hansol voice in his head pointed out.) 

“My supposed best friend,” Mingyu whined, sounding to better than a wounded puppy and looking the same. The oldest didn’t even need to reach out to know Mingyu was confused by this, it was like blaring smoke signals, with a hint of interest and sulkiness alike. “And perhaps someone who’s interested in Junnie-hyung?”

Instantly, the latter could feel the flush rising high on his cheeks, feeling awkward and startled by the suggestion alone. He wasn’t sure how to react to it, no matter how sensitive he was to the emotions of others and how good he could pry into them, emotions didn’t equal thoughts, people could be afraid of the same thing all for different reasons. So even if - and that was a big suggestions already - Wonwoo had willed their thread to light up red recently, and even if he was currently presented with a whole thermos of tea, that didn’t equal any feelings worthy of their friends’ catcalls.

“I just told him I can’t sleep well during full moon nights!” His voice sounded squeaky even to his own ears and that wasn’t even the worst of it. Because this implied that Wonwoo had remembered something he had been told pretty much one month ago and apparently it had been the wrong thing to say. He could see it in Mingyu’s eyes glinting mischievously. 

“I see,” their guest suddenly spoke up, lilt to his words and grin on his face. “You better enjoy your tea then, hyung. I’m sure it will help you sleep well.” Too startled to find a reply to that, Junhui could only watch how the gym co-owner got up and headed for the door again, a piece of meat stolen from the Chinese’s lunch between his fingers. “I have some fitness class now so I gotta go. See you later!”

There was a trace of suggestive thoughts lingering around the seat that had been occupied by their kind of neighbor until some seconds ago. It had Junhui feeling a bit queasy just thinking about the implications but there was no helping it now. Whatever it was going through Wonwoo’s head, Mingyu would likely be the first to find it out and then stay thriving on his amusement as observer.  
“Hyung,” Hansol called him out of his thinking so Jun quickly turned his head to his young coworker, eyes wide like a kitten as he looked at the younger. “What was he talking about?”

A panicked squeak escaped him, one that seemed all the more emphasized when Joshua came into the room and asked, “Who was talking about what?”

“Nothing!” The psychic was quick to exclaim, bribing Hansol with some of his favorite vegetables just so he’d remain silent too. “Just thought about that new cat. And Seungkwan. He asked about Ouija recently so maybe we should help him out? Although that’s not my forte but better than you doing that, right, hyung?”

Honestly, using tools was neither of their strong points. Not to mention how transmission magic was still split in two - use a medium of transmission, like Wonho and his odd protein shakes, or use a tool to channel your magic, like Renjun using pendulums. So Ouija boards would definitely be his hot pot partner’s realm ob objectary magic but, at least, Junhui had managed to pick up one thing or another, meaning he didn’t need to bother the young artist about helping out Hansol’s boyfriend, of all people. That was already sufficient chaos for them to deal with. 

“Hyungs,” Hansol intercepted before Joshua could even speak up about the mild insult, “If you talk like this, I really don’t understand a thing. Can you speak human maybe?”

Maybe the distraction had worked a tad too well. Junhui felt bad at the implication of having his favorite kid feel left out (although their speaking English had the same effect on him), so an apology was quick to leave his lips along with the question, “So no Ouija board then? They’re creepy as is.”

“No, I think Kwannie would want to do that anyways. So what about next Friday then? When you’re calmer again?” And who could refuse those bright and trusting eyes? Answer, not one particular Wen Junhui.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


Friday night usually meant hot pot night with Renjun but this time around, Junhui found himself standing in front of their usual restaurant with a short term message about a sudden project demanding them to reschedule. It wasn’t something he’d hold against the younger, the moon and stars knew he had often enough needed to reschedule with others when he had been still in university too. But in between nights of slaving away on studying animal biology with Joshua or drilling the nutrient facts of food and which worked best for what pet or recalling all the steps of treating smaller wounds, he hadn’t always had the time to meet up with Hoshi or Minghao and thus, often enough, cancelled on them too.

Those were memories he still treasured, of Joshua and him residing in their little dorm room, music running in the background because the radio was the only entertainment they could spare while youtube was ditched in favor of wikisearching whatever the textbooks didn’t explain good enough. Since they didn’t live together anymore, Seokmin was nowadays his semblance of university times, of sitting in their shared living room and eating dinner while watching some drama on TV or trying to beat each other in Smash Bros. The same level of fun and the same quality in company without any of the stress exams and assignments brought upon them. 

There was also biweekly Sunday brunch that was a still ongoing routine with Minghao, only Hoshi and him had no such tradition established. Junhui mostly blamed that on Soonyoung showing up whenever he wanted anyways because “kids are the devils, Junnie-ya!” (yet he still kept working in kindergarten). 

So he really shouldn’t be as hung up about Renjun having cancelled on him but his feet remained solidly where they were regardless of any of that. As if his body was playing to get him moving into the restaurant out of temptation thanks to the wafting scents alone and that idea had him pouting rather than taking delight in it. Sitting in restaurants all on his own didn’t bring him any joy, he was shy but that didn’t mean he wasn’t social and any meal tasted better in good company. Even if that company was only provided by the TV alone at home, at least it was nicer than being surrounded by couples and groups that had the chance to eat together unlike him.

Only that fate was a fickle thing - he liked to imagine it as a ball of glitter, bouncing from wall to wall and all over the world, like a mixture of Tinkerbell and a bouncy ball - and the answer as to why he had not yet been able to pull away presented itself only seconds later. There was a tug to his chest, a string waved around his heart and being played with, in the most literal sense. Because when he looked down again, there it was again, this yarn like little thing that went out from his chest and curved around the streets, throwing loops above people’s head and whirling around the air. Then it froze, stayed stuck for a second before it started to straighten up as if it were getting rolled up and then, it lowered, slowly falling down like a scarf left by the wind. The shorter it got the stronger the energy it thrummed with and there he was.

It shouldn’t be fair that people were handsome even after working all day and for a whole week. It wasn’t fair, in fact, because Junhui’s heart squeezed painfully for a second, sent a ripple to that thread and all Wonwoo did was smirk in amusement, as if so very aware of what he was doing to the witch right now. “You look more handsome with a smile on your face but I guess this pout is cute too.”  
There it was again, a minute flash of red circling their thread that so highly confused the witch who could only blink at it for another second. It was such an obvious link, yet things that were the most obvious were harder to realize and in this case, he really didn’t know what he should do about it. The best option was asking for advice from someone if only that didn’t put him in any compromising situation. He had never really explained how all of this worked to any of his friends, he wasn’t even certain they were aware of how he could see the links that everyone felt so to bring up a connection to someone who was barely an acquaintance seemed more than off. The question of just what they were laid on his tongue for a moment but was drowned out by Wonwoo asking, “So why are you sulking like this? Did you get stood up on a date?”

Instantly his eyes widened as a surprised sound left his lips. Date? “No, no!” He quickly protested, waving one of his hands in denial as the other was used to pocket the phone. For longer than he thought he must have looked at Renjun’s most recent message. “I usually come here with a friend of mine for dinner but he cancelled on me because of a project so now I’m just…”

“Hot pot?” Wonwoo asked, a little smile on his lips that really was not fair at all but it exuded all the warmth one might not expect coming from him. Junhui, too, had been startled at first, from seeing the barista’s concentrated and stern expression while tending the machines when there had been no customers prior to Mingyu and him, to being faced by such welcoming expression that seemed to be automatic with any guest and that only morphed into more delight when recognizing his best friend as the next in line. “Then do you want me to replace your friend for dinner?”

“Are you asking me out right now?” A little panicked laugh escaped him, one that quickly died out when seeing the honesty lying in dark eyes. So, apparently that’s a yes, he was just kind of asked out and the realization of such drove the flush high onto his cheeks. “I’d like that, yes…”

It must have been all Wonwoo had been waiting for because there was no further delay to approaching the door and the witch so conveniently ignored the little skip of his heartbeat when even the door was held open for him. The auntie who owned the shop immediately recognized him, only for her emotions to morph from delight into surprise and then an even brighter delight, holding all the warmth of a host and with this homey coziness.

“Aiya, how lucky you are, the best table just got freed,” she said with her slightly accentuated Korean, the Chinese lilt never having exactly disappeared but, at a certain age, Jun could understand it being harder. Thanks to it being a save space to talk in their mother tongue, he had once gotten to talk to her when Renjun had been held up at school and thus gotten to know she and her husband had moved over only ten or some years ago. It had been when they had approached the age that had the old couple a bit nervous about being able to care for themselves, so their daughter and her family had arranged their move so they could all live together. In the beginning their son-in-law had also helped them out in the restaurant but ever since it ran so well, they had relied on part-timers instead. “And because our Junnie here finally brought in a handsome man, I’ll pack you some more meat with your usual. You want the usual, do you?”

Before Junhui could even consider the options, he was, once again, cut down by Wonwoo answering, “I’m pretty sure whatever he normally has tastes well.” It made the older lady laugh in delight, a sound that immediately warmed the witch’s heart and had him award the Korean with a little golden star in his records. Anyone who had auntie Lin sparkle with joy was approved of as worthy hot pot mate.

A bit of worry still lingered as he looked at the other with a little pout and asked, “Are you sure you want my usual? I like it spicy but I can just leave that out later so it’s easier for you.”

Whatever he had said must have been amusing to the dark haired, a little amused hum escaped him and there was brightness transferred through the thread connecting him. “I’m good. I also like it when it’s hot.”

The red flare had Jun confused for a second, his eyes darted down to their thread as he blurted out, “Was that an innuendo?” Under normal circumstances, he might not even have understood it as such but a love for spices was most definitely not transferred in the same way as flirting. 

It was only too much of a pity their conversation was cut short when auntie Lin came back with two cans of tea for them. The mixture was familiar to the witch already, for unsurprisingly, a lot of garden witches liked to open up their own little shops, something that had been easier with the uprising of online stores. Most often it was tea but there were also other products like bath bombs or soaps, skincare played a big role too and about everything else that could be used for the body and allowed magic to brighten one’s spirits. So teas like these, made from whole leaves, were more often than not gathered and packed by the witches and to one of their own, like Jun, it was obvious how different each of their magic could taste. Depending on how compatible normal humans were with them, too, they might base their preferences not only on the effects of the tea they drank.

Wonwoo politely waited for the owner to leave to give them an illusion of privacy that allowed him to continue, “Do you want it to be?” The flush was back to Junhui’s cheeks, only this time around he did not dare reply to the question. Hiding behind a cup of tea that was magically chilled a few degrees was a way more comfortable option.

Luckily there were no more of these instances, no more hidden messages or words that could be misunderstood. It made their shared dinner all the more enjoyable. Albeit mostly Jun just felt surprised by how well they got along. Maybe he shouldn’t be at this point anymore, he had already gotten used to Wonwoo’s company to an extent and their talks had never been uncomfortable at any point but he liked to take pleasure in it regardless. 

He also felt touched by Wonwoo insisting on treating him, something that sent him back into a spiral of whether or not that qualified as a date just yet when he remembered something else upon their leaving the restaurant. “I still have your thermos at home… Do you work tomorrow? I’ll bring it by then!”

“I don’t,” was the unfortunate reply and rather than being told an alternative a phone was held out to him, the window for a new contact already pulled up. “But I can tell you when I’m in again if you give me your number.”

“I would have given it to you even without that...” Words that the witch had only muttered under his breath might not have been heard by Wonwoo, who was younger than him, and liked books and games, and prefered spicy foods, and was currently getting a higher degree in journalism, and all the other things Jun had managed to learn over the course of the night. Only the topic of magic and witches had come up. Throughout the years, he had filed it in a similar older as religion or sexuality, those also were topics that were mostly privately discussed despite their obvious influence to everyday life. 

He handed the phone back and, a second later, his own vibrated in his pocket thanks to the message Wonwoo just had sent. “I really enjoyed dinner today,” the student pointed out, and they had already earlier figured their way home wasn’t really that similar so parting now was the most reasonable. “I think I’d like a repeat of that sometime.”

“Take me to your favorite place next time,” Junhui agreed without properly considering it. Upon realizing how forwardly he had agreed, the heat crept up his cheeks again and had him feeling embarrassed for a second. “It’ll be my treat then.”

“Sounds fair,” Wonwoo agreed, hand reaching forth in a way that had Jun freezing up for a short moment but he only found his hand squeezed gently as a sort of goodbye. “Get home well, Jun. Have a good night.”

“You too,” he barely so managed to whisper in return until his embarrassment got the better of him. With a shrieked “Good night!” he turned on his heels and crossed the street to get to his bus station, not daring to look back lest his heart would squeeze painfully within his chest. Only their thread told him they had parted in good spirits and when it faded with the distance, it left the witch feeling oddly empty suddenly.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


Junhui felt relief flood him the following day when, rather than being greeted by Seungkwan and some poor imitation of whatever witch movie consisting of five hundred lit candles, he was welcomed by the scent of pizza and fried chicken wafting over and the sounds of Mario Kart echoing through the apartment. He shot a bit of a puzzled look to Hansol but the younger only shrugged his shoulders and explained, “He went to a Tarot reading at Myungho’s earlier so he’s sated. For now.”

A little knowing sound escaped the witch’s mouth. He wasn’t let down by that option, Minghao had always been good at these things, better than anyone else Jun had ever known to meddle with the flow of time but mediums were terrifying. Even the idea of testing and Ouija board was scary, inviting the dead into your house never brought only the good, but it was better to have him doing that than Seungkwan. The one time Hoshi had asked for a shampoo from the alchemist to prevent dying damage and ended up with a bald head was still haunting Junhui’s nightmares. There was but only rule within their cycle of friends - don’t trust Seungkwan 100%. No matter how sweet and caring he was on the usual, all magic surrounding him was meant to go wrong, as if born beneath a inverted star.

“Seungkwan is aware that Ouija is way more dangerous than just Tarot, is he?” The witch asked silently, definitely not up to wake a sleeping lion by having the alchemist here and risk getting scolded for the implication. Simple as it was, alchemists were no witches, their results were based on intrinsic merging of science with magic and up to this day Junhui was not certain whether it was the science or the magic part that kept messing with Seungkwan’s rituals. Magic happened on instinct, witches used it in the same way as they breathed, it flowed in and out, circled around them, and letting magic happen wasn’t the hard part but controlling it was. Essentially the reason as to why they had to learn so much about theories, why they had to learn the different categories because to understand a magic with a different flow than their own, they first needed to learn about it. 

But alchemists didn’t need to know it in the same way as witches, for centuries they had worked separately and even avoided the other’s companionship, because alchemists wanted to morph what witches wanted to use. It was no better than asking for a cup of water but being handed some ice cubes instead. They got better but in all means, with witches keeping most of their knowledge secret or seeing it as general, there were still some gaps between them.

At this point, Jun wasn’t even sure whether Hansol didn’t know better about magic than Seungkwan with how attentive he was around the clinic. At least the vet student was surrounded by two magic wielders and regularly came in contact with Jeonghan as a third, that kind of broadened the supernatural horizon, especially when compared to other humans who might be lucky to meet one in their life. Witches liked to stick together in small groups, even when there was no coven, and Hansol had simply fallen right into theirs.

“What did Minghao say? Is everything good?” Junhui asked and nearly fell over thanks to his battle with his shoes. Evil little things. 

“Good as can be,” Hansol smiled and led the way to the kitchen first, drinks on the ready, and with coke and sprite respectively they headed back to the living room and right into the heated battle of Seungkwan and Dino in an atrocious fight for first place. Situations of danger and threat were supposed to bring out the truest of character of every person but Junhui insisted that Mario Kart was worse than any gun or dagger to the throat. Pure evil. But it also was fun so who was he to protest. “There’s a letter for you, too. I think hyung didn’t rely on Seungkwan to be able to forward his words properly.”

A surprised little sound escaped the witch, muffled somewhat by drinking from his coke and he didn’t even manage to question it before the paper slip was handed to him. Sealed with wax - fitting for Minghao’s dramatic streak - but without envelope, the letter was simply folded in a way that would prevent peeking. Seconds later, Junhui realized why as he skimmed over the carefully scripted Hanzi.  
“Ge, times of change lie ahead of you. Don’t try to avoid them this time around and just embrace them as they come. Not everything unknown is also bad, can you remember that? I promise that if you accept it, it will do you good. Running away won’t hurt but it means a lot of untaken chances that will leave you in wonder years later. Good energies are also coming through so take care of any important rituals soon.  
PS: I’m waiting for your visit, Ge. And bring along some tea again, can you? Greetings to Joshua and Dokyeom, we’ll meet up soon again.”

“Scary,” the witch muttered as he skimmed over the note once again, before it disappeared into his pocket to be thought about later then. He loved Minghao, no doubt there, in the midst of moving countries and being in foreign territory, having a fellow Chinese was soothing. But the ability to look through time and communicate with ghosts was only entertaining in theory and movies, in reality, it was haunting and sending shivers down his spine. He would have even asked Minghao to take care of an Ouija ritual but the younger was not the least likely to indulge Seungkwan’s whims as much.

“What’s it saying?” Hansol asked, curiosity in his bright eyes and the witch would have told him, but not around the two meddlers who might just use it as an excuse to coerce him into trying new things. Their things, to be exact.

“Bet it’s about his love life,” Seungkwan stated with such a know-it-all aura, he definitely deserved the blue shell that hit him next. Karma was all about equality, after all.

“Nothing of the likes,” Jun pouted. There was not the least of a mention about his love life and he doubted Minghao would try to pry into that without reason. And his only date - was it one? - had been with Wonwoo yesterday, something he hadn’t told anyone about so not even Minghao could possibly know. “I’m not about to feed the devil some information anyways.”

“You love us, hyung,” Chan said from next to Seungkwan and Junhui released a pained groan at that. Because it was true, unfortunately. And aside from Hoshi and him, he doubted any of them had any sort of adult guidance, meaning it was a spiraling mess. But their hearts were filled with innocence and love so Junhui really couldn’t bring it over him to part from them, they were like family, after all.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


Just how right Minghao had been in his assumption showed some weeks later. Mingyu and Wonho had organized a little celebration for the two years of their gym “and more to come”, as they had phrased it. The weather had finally gotten colder for good but nothing that a few spells here and there could not mend, especially with someone like Wonho involved, who was always infusing his magic into anything created by his two hands. One of the reasons as to why their gym went so well but no one had had the heart so far to break the news to Mingyu and his good belief. 

Junhui was just about to get dressed for the party, in between closing the clinic a bit earlier than usual so they could refresh their looks at home and heading out again, hair still dripping from his shower when he realized something was stuck inside the pocket of his jeans he had been about to put on. A bit confused he fished between the folds of fabric until the letter Minghao had written was procured, and leave it to a witch’s letter to even survive Seokmin’s rough handling of dirty clothes and the washing machine on top.

With ease his eyes skipped over the handwriting and his heart squeezed tight at the last line. Minghao and him had met up before, for their usual brunch appointments, but the belated realization about this not only being about Minghao and him but all of them, their little cycle that seemed to circle around the gym, the clinic and flower shop, and the coffee shop, was now about to meet up in one place again. Truly scary, but also warming his heart better than any cup of tea ever could. 

“Are you ready?” Junhui called out while trying his best to keep his balance whilst sliding into his socks, his second to last step towards being ready to go. Only needed to check for his wallet and phone and whatever and then they could head out already. 

“Sure am!” Seokmin’s comforting voice called in return and as if perfectly timed, they met in the hallway. It was obvious, the connection that railed around them, but contrasting most witches Jun knew, this was not one-sided knowledge. In first place, their bond was not normal, it was no string, was no rope, didn’t disappear in their chests; it was like a ribbon of blue dust, floating freely and behaving like it had a life of its own, sparkling and sparking, wrapping around them and between them. In terms of visuals alone, it most definitely was his favorite connection, although the prettiest fruit sometimes was the most rotten one, as well.

By the time Junhui walked up to Mingyu, who was currently busy manning the grill, he was confidently past tipsy, slumping against the taller to embrace him in an awkward side-hug. Fact was, he was confidently past tipsy, and that ensued his being overly affectionate and also evidently hungry, both needs that could easily be satisfied by being close to the younger because, for one, Mingyu made for great cuddles, just the right height for Jun to be comfortable and just the right amount of muscle to be pillar to lean against without feeling like hugging an ironing board, and for the other, Mingyu was currently manning the grill and that meant getting fed meat directly off the fire. 

The human didn’t question his state, and Junhui felt thankful about that. As much as he had a very fitting excuse to why he had indulged one too many drinks, he hardly wanted to admit that he had gotten roped into Soonyoung’s shenanigans. Again. Just getting fed and leeching off some body warmth was way welcome.

In itself, the celebration was actually pretty nice. Mingyu and Wonho had gotten around renting some rooftop space, allowing them to comfortably grill in the open and there were enough seating opportunities for no one to feel awkward standing or left out. Some fairy lights had been hung up, giving the area a sweeter touch, and blankets were spread out for those who might still be subject to the evening chill, some of which Junhui recognized from visiting the gym rats at home so it was easy to figure those had been brought along or donated by friends for the night. And there was an abundance of friends around, a healthy mixture of Mingyu’s and Wonho’s and some people that looked healthy enough to be considered regulars at the gym. There were more than a handful of witches, too, but he had figured since long that their kind just liked to flock together, and the area they lived in might have one of the highest magical rates around the city. Not that they were registered or anything anyways, it was just a gut knowing - worked better than a gut feeling for sure.

Funnily enough, against common assumption, it was not easy to assume someone’s magic just by knowing they were witches. There were still people like Joshua, whose magic felt like clean white fitting of the coat he wore at times, smelling like laundry detergent, yet had an awfully black thumb and up to this day Junhui didn’t understand how a healing witch was actually killing off so many plants. On the opposite, there was Jeonghan, magic dark and twisted, a flavor so sickening sweet like rotting meat, but his aura - and Jun had to squint his eyes and concentrate highly to focus enough magic in his eyes to be able to spot it, contrary to Seokmin and his kind who just knew - was such a bubbly and light pink, it didn’t fit. Magic didn’t go by the books, it was an alive matter, and it was also why he loved it so much, to the point of going out of his comfort zone of emotions and psychics to study different fields, too.

Actually, that was half a lie. When he had first started it, tried to rather read Tarot as a child than focus on the overwhelming onslaught of emotions of the people around him, it had been juvenile hope for still being able to change the course his magic had taken. From there on, it just had morphed. The more he learned, the more fascinating it got. But Tarot also became more scary, knowing of what might come and always having to anticipate it was scary, much scarier than just living his life day to day.

“Junnie-ya,” a sweet voice lilted, and Junhui didn’t even bother to look up from his VIP feeding spot at Mingyu’s chest, only put the slight effort of tugging at the silken rope tied to their wrists to magically sign Jeonghan he was listening. “What did Hoshi do to you this time, hm?”

Considering he was only maneuvered from one hug to another, the psychic witch didn’t complain about finding himself within Jeonghan’s arms next, blissfully ignoring Joshua’s glances even. Not like it was suspicious in first place anyways, he had long since accepted to be like a freshly hatched baby bird to the necromancer. “Drinking games,” he answered honestly, and as great as he was at drinking, he really sucked with the games. The only good thing about it was that Soonyoung did worse than him so he had something he could gleefully make fun of him for later.

“My poor baby!” By the way Jeonghan kept cooing at him, Junhui wasn’t even sure the florist wasn’t drunk himself but that was something he wouldn’t question now, of all times. He didn’t even have the capabilities to, between getting still fed pieces of meat every some moments from Mingyu and being showered in love and affection by Jeonghan. That was indeed his favorite about big hangouts and drinks.

Although, that thought reminded him of the lack of appearance of some people he’d still have anticipated to come. One person, actually. Wonwoo, actually. But he was not about to feed the devil (read: his self-declared mama bird) some information so he just asked, “Is that all the people to come, Gyu?”

“Hm?” The one half of their hosts looked at his watch, then shook his head. “They should have closed up at the café already… Why, are you hoping for something? I heard you went on a date recently so-”

“Junnie? Dating?” Jeonghan interrupted, sounding nothing short of scandalized, and marked the very point of time at which Junhui was supposed to leave. The moment the necromancer even just took a whiff of a blooming romance would start the decay of Jun’s sanity due to too much prodding and probing. Which was ironic, considering there were a certain two individuals who were no better than him.

“Gotta go,” he whined, stole one more strip of meat from a plate while wriggling out of Jeonghan’s hold, and then quickly made to leave these demonic clutches. Maybe he should go back on his words on Jeonghan’s clear and friendly aura. 

What he did not anticipate, though, was the collision with another body some mere feet away from the barbecuing area, near where the stairs up to the rooftop were located. Slender fingers wrapped around his arms to steady him before he might fall and, there it was again, this little thread wrapped around his heart, connected to someone else’s. It was a wonder he hadn’t noticed it before, when usually he could take note of these connections from a further distance away, too, so possibly he was more drunk than he had thought. Or just distracted by Jeonghan’s homey hugs.

As it was, though, he found himself face to face with Wonwoo, speaking of the devil, and quite flustered too. Heat had rushed to his face and he wasn’t certain whether due embarrassment, the evening chill, or his tipsy state. “S-sorry, I-” He didn’t get further, and he wondered just how much luck - or misfortunate - someone needed to accumulate in their lives to experience such a generic drama scene. Because right the next moment, there was someone pushing him, or Wonwoo, and next thing he knew, they were kissing.

That, in itself, wasn’t the most outstanding, though. Much rather it was how their kiss developed and if someone asked, Junhui wouldn’t be able to answer who of them had moved first. All he knew was that the little movement of lips, the fingers tightening their hold around his arms, got his magic flaring up like throwing gasoline into a bonfire, his body felt like sparking all over, and around the thread connecting them he could feel little swirls of his own color. Which was a deed in itself, considering they stood so close to each other, chests nearly touching, but the distance between their hearts still so far.

Kisses in books were usually described so grandly, like fireworks or the once-in-your-life realization or coming home, and in the manga he read they also were usually illustrated so well. It were all these words and pictures Junhui lacked at the moment, or after, all he knew was that this was a moment he wouldn’t mind to drag on forever.

Apparently, his thoughts were not his friends’, as he could hear some hollering from- Yeah, that was right next to them. Like a paper ripped in two, his whole consciousness reverberated, backtracked from this little bubble that was Wonwoo and how being close to the other made him feel back into the real world and Soonyoung’s whooping while Minghao’s eyes seemed to burn holes into his neck. It was like saying, “You’ve got some explaining to do.” Fun thing, considering his best friend could basically see into the future. 

“That’s- Uhm…” Was he supposed to say something? They might have parted but he still felt Wonwoo’s warm breath against his lips, slick from saliva and sensitive from the difference of temperature, felt the magic within him calling for more, thanks to whatever this threaded connection between them resembled. 

“One way to greet me,” the dark haired replied with a smile, softly, but his grip loosened and then it was gone, as Mingyu had called for his best friend instead. With a short, “Let’s talk later, Jun,” Wonwoo disappeared, leaving the witch alone to remain within Soonyoung’s literally burning hands. His only solace was that the kindergartener would be the least likely to remember any of what had transpired right now the next day, that was how drunk he was after this nonsense drinking game. Whilst Junhui just felt drunk on the affection.

Still, he didn’t attempt talking to Wonwoo again that night. Even just glancing over at the other drove the heat up his cheeks and made embarrassment coil hot within his guts. Not even making fun of Joshua and Jeonghan that night felt right.

What he did, though, was go home with Seokmin not too much longer, the walk not too long nor strenuous despite their inebriated state, and coming home was like sweet comfort to the soul, just knowing he could shimmy out of his jeans and then drop dead into bed. Emphasises on he could. Subjunctive. Because right before he went to fall into his room, Seokmin spoke up, “Hyung, are you aware you’re connected to that guy?” 

Junhui didn’t question the younger, only stared at the soulseer for some moments, then decided grunting into the void and burying himself beneath a pile of blankets was the better way to handle this. If even Seokmin spoke up about Wonwoo, there really was something going on, he merely couldn’t tell what exactly it was just yet.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


“So you’re telling me,” Minghao started, and from the tone alone Junhui already knew what was about to come. For a moment he considered that maybe he should regret having told his best friend all about his current situation but then again, Minghao had always been their voice of reason. And he meant their. Because there had been times when both Joshua and him had been more than just idiotic. “You met this guy, Mingyu’s friend. And you have this… connection with him?”

For a second, Junhui was distracted by the hand gesture but then again, Minghao was a medium, not a witch per definition as their means of working magic were different still. Explaining how each their magic worked, though, was not always as easy, everyone took it in differently, like how some tended to see it in different ways, some just scented them, others perceived them as shades of colors. It also depended on the kind of magic and, admittedly, there Jun’s must have stood out a bit. Psychic magic was not worked in the way Joshua did his healing, after all. But a simple explanation of ropes and strings, that wasn’t entirely wrong but neither entirely right, was mostly sufficient.

With Minghao looking expectantly, Junhui nodded his head in agreement, eyed the white band that was connected to their wrists each, materializing out of their lower arms like an extension of their veins and arteries. It floated through the air, danced around with an non-existent breeze, and the younger went on, “You also went on dates. But when you accidentally kissed at Gyu’s party, you got shy and all that and now you didn’t talk to him since two weeks?” Jun nodded again. “And you even went out of your way to avoid him?” He didn’t nod this time, feeling embarrassed, but the way the rope froze and then quickly retracted in size like a rubber band snapping back, until it was flat and short without wrinkles on top of the table, told him all he needed to know anyways. “You’re a dumb one, Wen Junhui.”

The witch didn’t exactly have it in him to protest to that, could only wail in misery. There were enough times during which he had considered himself not to be exactly smart, like the at least three times they had nearly burnt down their dormitory back in their college days. Just that he normally prided himself in being rather responsible for his age and knowing how to handle situations. Apparently unless that included getting all embarrassed about what might as well be considered his crush. 

“Just tell me what to do, Hao,” he mumbled. Would it be possible for the ground to open up and swallow him up if only he trained elementary magic more? Then again, he had never been good at that field, actually. Psychic, with all its connections between people and intricate emotions, had always been his forte, up to the point he could read even animals so well he was often times sorted with the wrong speciality. For sure, it had aided them at the clinic countless times, and he was working on tracing his connection with the plants they raised too, he had ventured into so many fields already. But elemental magic was indeed something that had to run through their veins regardless of all, was not something to be taught like that.

“Talk to him, Ge.” Minghao’s voice weighed heavy between them, and the puppy eyes came instinctually to the older. Only that they had little to no effect on the seer. “Seokmin said you’re connected, too, and if even he says that, don’t you think you should consider it before holing yourself up just because you’re no longer used to dating? Jun, you’re not twelve anymore, you can’t get shy like a virgin all the time. You’re not one anyways.”

Minghao had a point, and he had always hated that to an extent. Not to say it wasn’t the exact reason he had brought the topic up during their brunch date anyways. 

“Can’t believe you’re using the Seokmin card against me…” The witch pouted but all he got in return was one raised eyebrow that prompted him to look back at his forsaken apple pie. For a bit, he just stabbed his fork around the edges, watched the fruit topping fall apart and the dough crumble. His roommate was really a force to be reckoned with, but they vibed well, their abilities familiar in a way albeit coming from very different sources. After all, Seokmin was the same as Minghao, albeit not seeing the future but only the core of every single person, their soul. 

The younger took a sip from his tea, then pulled a stone from his pocket. Or rather, a healing stone strung on a bracelet, placed on the table between them. “Had a feeling you’d need it,” the medium said, “Now I know why. Just take my advice already, will you? Change is not always bad and I think this guy especially does you good.”

Playing with the bracelet, Junhui remained silent for a bit. Black tourmaline. It was beautiful, still carried it’s rough beauty to it but sanded down around some edges so it wouldn’t irritate the skin too much. “He makes me nervous.” The gaze he received in return seemed to be sarcasm in its purest form, all about “You don’t say”. So he went on, “Not like others. He listens to me, like, actually listens to me. And he seems to be able to read me even when I don’t say anything. It’s, like… like we’re in tune. I last felt that with Joshua but Shua is different, like a brother. But Wonwoo…”

“Junhui.” Minghao sounded so awfully serious there was no way the older couldn’t look at him, direct his focus back to the medium, the rope between them relaxing slowly again, curling around the table. “Do you think he might be the one for you? Is that why you’re afraid?”

It would be a lie to say he hadn’t considered that before but it didn’t seem to fit exactly. Soulmatery, finding The One, red threads - it wasn’t unheard of, and there was no way he could doubt it when he knew someone like Seokmin even, someone who could recognize souls that belonged together, knew of it. No further could he doubt it when he himself could see those connected to him, too. 

But there also were a bunch of points speaking against it. Like, how soulmatery didn’t bridge races and yet there was no feeling of magic to Wonwoo, regardless of the tea and their string. Actually, their string. It was too thin, too tender, didn’t fit the concept of being tied together for a lifetime when it could tear so easily. 

So yes, he was nervous, to no end. Because he didn’t know what to make of Wonwoo when it was so very confusing, a tangled up mess of ropes and strings. Not to mention how the barista did indeed make him feel like a virgin, made his heart skip beats and raised butterflies in his stomach and had him blushing like a teenager. But at the same time, it was comfortable, being around Wonwoo was like being surrounded by the warmth of home, like sitting in front of a fireplace in a winter’s night. 

“Figure it out as you go but don’t miss chances because of riddles, Ge. Not being born an objectory witch also had never stopped you learning from Renjun, did it?” Minghao asked, tackling the point and, just out of spite, the witch flicked his fingers and chilled the steaming tea rapidly. Perks of being his kind and not a medium, after all. Not that it did anything to prevent the seer’s judgmental gaze, though.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


Before Hansol had started his internship at the clinic, Junhui had taken care of most administrative things. Opening up the practice together had been an idea Joshua and Junhui had picked up during their college years still, back when they couldn’t have afforded a part-timer even if they had wanted to. So naturally the logical thing to do had been for either of them to learn how to do that and greeting elder ladies with a kind smile at the door with faces like theirs surely had not done them any bad either. Although there had been one too many conversations about daughters at the perfect age of marriage than the witch had enjoyed.

Nowadays he had less paperwork to do, allowing him to focus more on their little patients, like the small Bengal female in his arms. Tracer, as she’s called, was an adorable one, docile and albeit a bit shy, there was no animal the witch had not won over before. It had him feel reluctant to even part with it, even when there was no helping that. Softly, he tapped his finger against her nose, felt the affection glow warm within her when he lowered his own walls a bit. 

Animals, in that aspect, were simpler than humans, their emotions not one big mess but straight on, easier to feel and accommodate to. After all the years it had taken him to refine his magic to the point of sensing their moods, he couldn’t stomach the idea of stopping it now. At times, it had even been hilarious, like that one time they had done some training at the zoo to learn how to not only look out for the small animals, in case some of them wanted to venture into that area. When all had been scared of the tiger with a gash in its paw from a careless visitor having dropped trash to the ground that had been carried into the cage by the wind somehow, little impulses of care and worry had been enough to reassure the feline to the point of permitting his touch. Those few of his colleagues who could feel magic had been aware of what he had done, the others had merely remained somewhere between shock and awe.

“I’ll miss you, little one,” the witch now sighed, forlornly looking into her beautiful jade eyes. Tracer remained curious, not entirely understanding what he was hinting at but taking to the little wave of sadness. It didn’t last, she was quick to be distracted by some petting and the warmth of Junhui’s arms as he took her outside to their lobby to settle at the desk there. Easily she settled on his lap, curled up on the heated seat, and was not even disturbed by his little moving around to find the right folder with her information. 

A bit like human practices, Junhui had not sorted the data by the names of those who paid or took on the insurance but by the patient names, in that case of the animals. Once there had been too many of those, he had further sorted them by genus, all including of a picture of their little patients so they would not be mistaken and their records. It made it a bit easier to tell the small ones apart in case of similar or same names.

Tracer’s records, in that case, were rather short. It was her first visit at the clinic, and Junhui had only just finished finding her files in the folder when the little bell above their door chimed, signaling someone’s arrival. Above the plastic pocketed papers, a familiar thread started to appear and float, curling in delight as it seemed to have developed a life of its own, contrasting the way Jun’s stomach decided to fold in and topple over. Now it was even too late to call for Hansol to take on the administratives, furthermore when the student wasn’t even in today.

Eyes wide like a deer’s, he looked up at Wonwoo approaching the counter. Since their last encounter, the dark hair had grown a bit longer, made the younger look awfully attractive and it did nothing good to Junhui’s heart. The thought alone made him feel shy and he would have scrambled into a standing position if not for Tracer dozing carelessly in his lap. “Won- I mean, hi- No, that’s not-” He couldn’t help scrambling for words, already cursing whoever in his friend circle had told the barista where he worked because he was not yet ready to face an encounter like this. 

“Cute,” Wonwoo only pointed out, voice still tender and low and not sounding upset as if Junhui had ignored his recent messages. What the witch kind of did. In his defense, once he replied and said he was just busy with work and Wonwoo either was the most gullible person on earth or just nice enough not to press someone before they were ready. Either way, the Chinese felt thankful.

He also felt the heat settle in his nape, wishing it would not travel to his cheeks lest he looks as embarrassing as he felt inside. Not squirming in his seat was already bad enough. “So, uhm, can I help you with something?”

“Tracer,” the younger smiled, and Junhui’s thoughts were already jumping to tracing and tracking spells when the lap in his lap moved. And, oh, right, the Bengal was called Tracer and apparently belonged to Wonwoo. That much was evident by the cat not only getting up and making her way over the table to get closer to her owner but also the name scribbled down in the files. 

Moments like these only made Junhui more embarrassed, had him hiding his face in his hands for a bit. The thread connecting them was dancing in mirth, feeling warm where it connected to his heart. This time it did not portray his own struggling emotions but rather Wonwoo’s, the unfiltered joy radiating from the dark haired like sun rays on a warm summer day. 

“Sorry, I’m…” His voice faded out when he realized he had no proper explanation. A flustered mess? Behaving like a hormonal teenager? Acting like a virgin boy, as Minghao had accused him of? He didn’t know but he for sure knew how to look miserable as he looked up at the cat father. Wonwoo even had a cat. There was no way a man could be any more perfect and it messed with his feelings all the more. Good-looking, charming, smart, kind, and liked animals. Did not even dislike Junhui. It could be a win-win situation if he actually could bring himself to sort through his own emotions for once.

“Accompanying me to dinner tonight? I’ll look forward to it.” The human smiled so charmingly, Junhui couldn’t even deny it as he slowly nodded his head in agreement, not even processing the words properly until he did. His eyes widened in surprise when he did, even though he was no longer able to take them back. “Is there anything I need to take care of with Tracer?”

Just to make sure he didn’t remember incorrectly, the witch checked the notes again, then shook his head. “Just watch out for her diet for a few days and if she throws up or something…” He reached for the recipe Joshua had already written and Hansol had stuck between inside the plastic to hand over. “If she behaves normal, you won’t need it but just in case… And then…” Quickly he rolled over to one of the cupboards behind him to fish for a small bottle that followed the prescription’s track. “Mix this into her water, five drops per hundred milliliters roughly. It calms her stomach and might make her a bit more drowsy than usual but it will aid the recovery process. Just use it up or for as long as you see fit, there aren’t really any side-effects.”

Human made medication often times had, whereas this tincture had been something Joshua and him had refined over the years. The most common term would be potion but it always made Junhui think of standing in front of an iron cauldron while cooking weird things like frog legs over open fire. Plants were the most commonly used by the two witches, soaking in water for hours to days, seldomly cooked or steamed, and their effects amplified by positive thought. It was not nearly as exciting as old movies made it seem but they did their job well. They also were used on a voluntary base, in case any of their clients refused them, albeit few of them actually did. After all, their brewings did work wonders at times.

The bottle was quick to disappear in Wonwoo’s pocket but Tracer stayed in his arms, and Junhui couldn’t help swooning over the underlying tenderness for a moment. At least until the younger asked, “The payment?”

“On the house,” the witch squeaked. Originally, it was not incorrect, a little post-it told him that the treatment had been free of charge for Tracer, meaning only the tincture to be paid. Yet merely one glance at the cat - not Wonwoo! - was sufficient to make Junhui forget about that entirely.

If the human was surprised, it didn’t really show, there was only some of that slyness felines had about them usually in the barista’s handsome face. Amusement was playing around his rosy lips instead. “You get off at…?”

“Seven?” The witch tried, and after a short farewell, slumped down with his head colliding with the desk, only pillowed by the sheer protected files still. Just for the moment he allowed himself to wail in pity, bemoaning the fact he could never behave like a functioning human around Wonwoo ever since his traitorous heart had decided to develop a crush sneakily. Yet he was stuck having to attend a date after a long day of work, likely covered in fur and all, and not even his magic could save him from that. If only Seungkwan hadn’t messed up this anti-fur potion years ago to the point of scaring the then roommates off to the point that both Joshua and Junhui had decided to never ever consider using it themselves… Haechan had been a charming byproduct, though.

To not miss chances because of riddles, Minghao had told him just the day before. Seems like he was not even able to escape the chances fate had in store for him. Too bad he was kind of scared off by the accuracy of his best friend’s readings or he’d have asked for one at this current moment.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


Honest to the moon, Junhui had spent his last hours of work mostly whining to Minghao about having gotten himself into a date (as expected, his best friend had been rather harsh in his text messages, telling him to “get your act together, Wen Junhui!” or to “just revive your campus heartthrob times, you baby” and it had scratched at his pride a teeny tiny bit, even though he knew the younger was right) and warding off Joshua. Had someone told him some years prior that one day it would be his life constant poking fun at him for his love life, he’d likely have thought it a hilarious joke. But as it was, he was no better than Joshua, turning into a crumbling mess after finding affections reciprocated. 

His only relief had been the last bit, when all he had to do was feed the animals they kept in for watching and play around with them. Their clients would likely get spooked by the fact they did have no one to watch over their little patients at night but they weren’t witches for nothing. It had been something he had needed a lot of advice from Renjun for, and it had taken months of practice and testing it out in the university clinics, to make it work. Little crystals were put into every cage, spellwork having them sense each occupant’s emotions and simply the filtering was a struggle - they should notice pain and suffering but not the kind of homesickness, when they’re getting stressed, the symptoms should not be mistaken with joy, and so on; it had been while creating this that Junhui had realized he really would’ve done horrible with technologies. IT might be great for a career but spellwork relying on instincts was already tough, he couldn’t imagine doing the same in an alchemist’s way. 

The easier part on it all had been linking the smaller crystals with one put up in Joshua’s apartment, mostly what Renjun had been in charge of. They still omitted the part where they had nearly gotten it all ruined by Haechan, though. As long as it worked, eventually, they were content, and that it did. The little emergencies they had, had always easily been resolved, and after one peculiar incident, Junhui had also taken to link a tiny charm on his phone to the system so he would not always have to rely on Joshua’s calls for that. 

Albeit the joy of being with the animals had been short-lived, he had come to a screeching halt when he had spotted the clock above the door that showed him he was five minutes short of closing the clinic and still needed to grab his stuff and all. He nearly cursed in Chinese, but sensing how the animals about him got a bit unsettled by his turmoil, he just petted the little bunny he had held and put it back in its age, checked the crystal located there. With the animals checked, most things were already taken care of, so he hurried through the rest, took off his lab coat and exchanged his shoes, grabbed his bag and made sure everything that was supposed to be locked actually was. The only thing left was shutting down the computer, and where it was located in the lobby, he could already see Wonwoo standing outside on the street.

At least that allowed him to stare for some unabashed seconds, taking in how the younger had dressed casual in a way he was used to, none of the romantic stuns that would get Junhui into a situation. Whether it was consideration or had to do with their tonight’s plans he wasn’t certain, but when it did nothing to downplay Wonwoo’s attractiveness, he found himself still smiling. The computer system stopped whirring and after checking the door of their client data to be locked, he turned off the lights and set the security, the last stop to getting outside. 

Wonwoo must have noticed the chance in ambience, for Junhui was greeted by dark eyes and a teasing smile, “You’re lucky I’m a patient person, Moon Junhwi. Are you done now?” Just in time with the words, the witch turned the key in the lock one last time, saw the lights on the security system change color, and nodded his head. He didn’t even get to reply when Wonwoo had already wrapped fingers around his wrist and tagged him alone, clearly a man on a mission while the witch was but a fumbling mess.

The keys dropped to the floor nearly twice before they were stuck in his pocket, and deeming the current hold too uncomfortable, he wriggled around until their fingers were interlaced. What he had just done occurred to him only afterwards, when dark eyes looked at him in amusement and the flush promptly sat high on his cheeks. Would it not mean another load of teasing, he would have wanted to ask Joshua for a check up and whether his heart was actually still okay, or he was just close to dying during the peachiest time of his life.

  


The walk didn’t actually take that long, somewhat to Junhui’s earlier suspicions, most of the people he crossed paths with in life were in a certain vicinity to him. Somehow, they had all settled within the same part of the city, and it made sense, no one wanted to travel far for work. But that also lead to the current situation, as he was not stopped in front of a restaurant or café, rather they were standing in front of a small residential house and Wonwoo was pulling out a set of keys himself.

“You’re not gonna offer me ramyun now, are you?” The witch asked, trying to be comical despite nervosity clearly having him fail at that. Were it anyone else, he’d be less stressed, but anyone else was not Wonwoo, so the thought equally warmed him and made him nervous. To be allowed into private area was a big deal, and regardless of his jokes, he could sense there was no hidden agenda to it when he lowered his own walls just enough.

As many things did with the younger, though, he found it backfiring, as the dark haired just grinned and asked, “Why? Would you prefer that?” 

For the time it took for the doors to open, Junhui found himself speechless and, once again, had to be dragged inside. It lasted only seconds, a special distraction was already coming his way as Tracer pounced to the door and snuggled up against his leg, rubbing her fur to his jeans to likely leave even more hair to be clinging to the fabric than there had already been before. “Hey, little one,” he hummed, making quick work of petting her and undoing his shoe laces by using one hand each, carefully put aside along with his remaining stuff. He hadn’t noticed at first, but it already smelled like heavens and his grumbling stomach gladly agreed.

But as Wonwoo told him to just stay put for a moment, he used the time to look around instead. The hallway gave room to the open kitchen and living area, a sliding door at one side parting it from what must be the bedroom. Befitting of his expectations, the younger’s space looked clean, everything was in neat order, books sorted in the shelves in what he realized were topics, each further assembled by size to give a nicer look to it. Yet the really intriguing part were the many plants around, some placed on the windowsills, some placed on single shelves, and some even hung from the ceiling in their baskets. Even more fascinating was the sorts of plants that had been hung up - some herbs, some flowers, some succulents - for they all had one trait in common: their effects.

He knew many of them from their own little greenery on the rooftop, the kinds they more or less often used for their tinctures, and it was one thing seeing it in a witch’s house, it was another to see them all with someone who might not be one. And even witches always ventured into that area, considering putting Soonyoung and plants was a whole no-go and even Joshua was already a risk, ironically. Garden witches and those close to green elements mostly always raised them, some just chose them as a medium. Which still didn’t solve the mystery of why Wonwoo had them.

Gently he traced his finger along some familiar leaves, straining to channel his own energy to the point of feeling the plant’s emotions. It was happy, content. Clearly it led a good life and had a good connection with its owner too.

“That’s lemon balm,” Wonwoo called from the kitchen, simultaneous to the scent of food increasing. Fingers still caressing the tender leaf, Junhui looked over, observed how the younger was carefully distributing the food that turned out to be stew. “It’s good for anxieties, stress, and sleep problems. A lot of people also like the flavor of it in the tea.”

That was not exactly something new to the witch, already familiar with the commentary on about any herb they owned after buying them at Jeonghan’s. Definitely they had worked with herbs before but getting closer to the necromancer had definitely pushed their level to an extent. Albeit Junhui still had to mark the many herbs and write his notes in contrary to Jeonghan who seemed to remember it all with ease. He really would’ve made such a great natural witch…

“They feel happy,” the witch started, rubbing his fingers into the leaf as if he were tickling it, before he realized what he had just said. His eyes widened slightly but he was quick to correct, “They look happy, I meant. Did you grow them yourself?” To his side, he glanced at his host, already setting the table for them, the mere sight of the food enough to prompt him to go over.

“Not exactly.” Wonwoo set some last things down, then settled himself. “I get them from the florist close to your clinic and then take care of them after. My grandma taught me a lot about herbs when I was younger, how to brew them and their effects and all. It feels more alive with some plants in here as well.”

Curiously Junhui listened, he also reached his magic out a bit, channeled it through the thread to feel for the other’s emotions. There was nothing but love in there, warmth for plants, hobbies and family. It had the witch smiling softly as he inspected the food in front of him seemingly, taking it in well with his eyes, it just did not process well within his mind. “So the tea at the café…?”

“Is mine, too.” The smile on the younger’s face was nothing but charming, gesturing for Junhui to start eating which he promptly did. Unknowing, the words had thrown him into a spiral downwards, so eating came as a delightful distraction. It bothered him for a few seconds, the fact that the tea tasting of magic was indeed Wonwoo’s but there was no other trace of it lingering around the younger. 

Then, like clouds on a windy day, it was blown away by yet another conversation, and it seemed to always come so easy to the younger to get rid of any lasting and negative emotion within Junhui’s heart. It had been that way during the first night they talked and it was no different now. In between dinner and settling on the couch with some ice cream and Tracer on his lap and eventually being sent home with a taxi Wonwoo had called, the witch found something peculiar though. For the first time since the beginning of dinner, he only wondered about whether the other was a witch or not when he checked his phone, a living reminder of the conversations he had had with his friends.

And then, with ease, it slipped his mind again when he read Wonwoo’s message of, “Tell me when you’re home. Just want to make sure you arrived well.” It seemed funny, considering Junhui could likely throw a better punch than the barista, and even knew of how to manipulate feelings to the point it would be excruciating for an attacker, but as amusing as it seemed quite as heart warming it actually was. He stuck well with the request, and replied once he was home. A small part of him was also glad Seokmin was no longer awake, lest he’d have asked what his roommate had meant before when saying they were connected. The One, as a romantic soul might call it. It was a thought he allowed to be washed away with the hot water in the shower, held off for another day.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


_What happens when you put a witch, a seer and an alchemist into one room_ might sound like the beginning of a bad joke but, at times, it just summed up Junhui’s life. _It’s loud_ , the answer would be, and while mostly the veterinary nurse was glad his and Seokmin’s friends got along, he really didn’t feel like dealing with their level of excitement after a stressful day and one too many - it actually was only one - old ladies claiming their cats were sick when actually they were just tired of being overfed. Taking in four cats at ones and feeding them laxatives before trying to educate and elder woman and having that followed by cleaning up sounded about as funny as it was. 

After days like these, he just wanted to go home, eat some food, fall into bed, play games, and pass out. Alas, it was not Seokmin’s gameplan of the night. The raucous laughter was audible even before he had unlocked their door and the familiar sensation of magic was nearly palpable. Seungkwan’s had never been too obvious and evident but Soonyoung’s was blazing hot and spreading sparks around the air. Befitting of his ability, after all. 

He sighed once, tried to let all his exhaustion of the day fiddle out, before he pushed the door open and went inside. His shoes were carelessly kicked off, he wasn’t up to being neat at the moment, and his belongings put down on the chair they had pushed against one wall. 

Seokmin likely noticed him first, always did, but the voice that greeted him was boisterous and Soonyoung’s as he yelled, “Junnie! Did you finally come here?” The fiery orange ribbon between them curled, tried to imitate the heat that came from the slightly younger. It was contrasting Seokmin’s and his fine dust, and it stood out next to the lacking connection to Seungkwan. His mother had once said it has to do with magic, the purer it is, the likelier he is to see a connection. Witches were the purest form of, direct connections, the bridge of the otherworldly and the realistic. Seers were above them. They could not use magic, but they could so very well see it, each in their own way. 

It meant that the connection between Minghao and him was partly due to magic and partly because of their inherent friendship. Also that Seokmin’s and his was not due to his abilities as soulseer but rather due to the purity of of his curse. Junhui had realized soon enough it was not about the intent of the magic whenever his mother called it pure, the darkest of magics could still be purer than that with tender thought. In other terms, it was about the quality of magic, its raw and unfiltered form. Alchemy, apparently, had too little of that. Diluted by science and human evolution. 

His head started to ache as he just thought about it, so he merely decided to whine low in his throat and drop into his favorite chair in the living room. Curled around his stuffiest throw pillow, he directed his attention at his roommate and silently mouthed, “Is there food?”

Seokmin only made the gesture for a phone call, meaning they had already ordered in and considering it was Seokmin they were talking about, a whole angel, someone no one would suspect to have been cursed before, Junhui already knew he was in for a treat. The others even toned down their volume a bit, meaning he looked a lot more worn out than he would like to admit, and pushing that thought aside, he dozed off for a while. 

Against his expectations, the little background noise was soothing, to know people he liked were around even though he didn’t need to pay all his attention at once. He had thought it would be more aggravating, yet there he was, cozily drowsing as he waited for dinner. Or maybe dinner was the only reason it was actually as delighting as he currently felt Maybe he would even get a drink out of it - considering Soonyoung was around - and then he could just shower, fall into bed, and sleep like a baby.

So tired, he didn’t realize anything they talked about, thoughts too far away to listen to a single sentence of theirs. Until whatever Seokmin had said, sent Soonyoung into a frenzy - Junhui was also vaguely certain Seungkwan had screeched into his glass - and a loud “Junhui did what?!” echoed throughout the small living room. The mentioned only whined and pulled another pillow over his head to drown out the bothersome noise when the doorbell promptly followed in sound. 

There was no patter of footsteps following up, so he hesitantly pulled down the pillow. His eyes felt heavy, they were still lighter than the mood around the room. And none of them made a move to get the food. “I’ll keep it all too myself,” he pointed out, something that was usually chirpy teasing but now sounded more like the voice coming out of a grave after Jeonghan had mixed his magic with someone’s that would smell like sugared strawberries. In short, it would be a zombie but not the disgusting kind.

For the sake of the delivery boy, he tried his best to put on a nice smile, albeit it only lasted until it fell close after him again. The food weighed heavy in his hands but smelled heavenly. It was the only thing he could focus on as he got some chopsticks for everyone from the kitchen and then settled in the living room again. 

Seokmin truly was the kindest of angels for getting him something spicy to eat, the noodles basically steaming in red, and there was a variety of fried chicken he couldn’t care about less. Unlike his friends, apparently, who kept staring at him so intently while he took his first bites. Oh, the wonders of food. He was slowly getting his senses back, and therefore also ready to address the more than less subtly gazes Seungkwan and Soonyoung had thrown him repeatedly. “What?” He grumbled tiredly as he looked at them.

“Seokmin said you met your soulmate,” Seungkwan repeated the earlier and shocking words. Junhui nearly choked on his bite of noodles and from the corner of his eyes he saw his roommate at least look sheepish. 

“I didn’t say ‘soulmate’, I said-”

“You didn’t tell us- me!” Soonyoung interrupted and, much as the witch loved his fire counterpart, this was a bit too much for his tired ears. It was not exactly manly, but Jun admitted to whining at this very moment. 

“Just… let me eat in peace and we can discuss this matter another time. Not today…” He had to give it up to them, as loud and positively bothersome as each of them could be and how much it amplified when they grouped up, there was no denying their considerate traits either. Begrudgingly they followed his wish and fell into easy chatter over eating. It was comfortable like this, reminded him why he loved each and all of his friends even when he felt worn out like a potato sack. So the words hit him only minutes later, when he had eaten nearly the whole serving of noodles already. With confused eyes he looked at Seokmin and asked, “What did you mean, ‘soulmate’?”

“Didn’t say that,” the younger replied around a mouth full of chicken, “Said you met someone you have a connection with. They” - he pointed the bone at the other two, who promptly got into a dramatic act - “blew it out of proportion. It’s the guy you kissed at-”

“You kissed?!” Soonyoung, again, interrupted. An ugly habit in the most literal way as some bits of vegetables flew from his mouth. Junhui only wrinkled his nose.

“Don’t kiss and tell,” he said and hurried to finish his dish and grab a chicken wing before he disappeared. If the questioning went on any longer, he wasn’t sure he could deal with it. Only bright side was how his magic felt as drained as he did, meaning it couldn’t flare up and wreak havoc unlike what the fire witch had once done. It was not exactly funny to try to explain to the landlady why the living room ceiling was scorched without sounding like idiots. 

Junhui called a “Good night!” before disappearing to the bathroom, finally a man on a mission to get to bed. Were he any more awake by the time he dropped down onto his mattress, he would have pondered their earlier conversation some more. As it was, knowing that he would have to be on his best behavior the next day again to calm the animals, he only closed his eyes in pursuit of sleep again.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


After two dinner dates, Wonwoo had proposed they go for an afternoon together for a change of pace. Something about wanting to make good use about the good weather for once but as they spent nearly three hours together already and with no end in sight, Junhui wondered whether it hadn’t to do with the time limit that came with nightly arrangements. They usually had parted ways at this time already, or were up to, but not today. This day, they had taken a short walk around a park, then settled in a café for coffee and cake, and now they were walking the shopping districts, Jun’s hands busy with holding his bubble tea in one and Wonwoo’s in the other. When they had even gotten to that, he wasn’t certain.

“Can we go in there for a moment? I need something for my mom,” Wonwoo asked as they passed by a stationary shop. The witch merely hummed in agreement and allowed the younger to pull him inside by his hand. The touch between them was warm and the thread wrapped from their chests down their arms to circle their wrists, pulsating a warm pink. It was even warm to the touch, during those few moments Wonwoo had been distracted enough for him to test. 

Like at the current moment, as their hands had parted and the barista was checking through different notebooks to find the best fitting one for his mom. Junhui probably looked like an idiot, poking into the air and stroking along it like tracing a line on paper when it was only air to maybe all but ten people on Earth. It all depended on the perception of music, after all. 

It was cute to play around like this for a while but then again, he had never been the most patient kind of person. “Will be right back,” he promised, stopping himself just barely from caressing Wonwoo’s back in reassurance before he already left. 

If he didn’t remember wrongly, there had been some stuffed toys around too and, true to his thoughts, there was one. It was way interesting to browse compared to the always same empty pages only differing in the way they were covered. There was no kitten plushie looking like Tracer so he could gift it to the owner, instead there were two cats with their tails curled to form a heart between them. It was adorable and had his fingers itching but he barely so refused to reach out for it. 

Just a few feet down, there was a keychain of a teddy bear wearing a little leather jacket, though, so he reached for that. It dangled between his fingers as he followed the thread to Wonwoo already being at the cashier’s. “Chose one?” He asked, lining up next to the younger and curiously peeking at the notebook in discussion.

The younger held it up for easier sight, their conversation only interrupted by having to pay and Wonwoo finally noticing Junhui had something too when the latter got ready to pay. “Are you into teddies or rock?”

“Neither,” Jun answered and focused on the employee just long enough to receive his bag and give his greetings. “My roommate was in a rock band before. I thought it a good reward for scoring a new musical role, to remind him of his roots.” 

“Cute.” Wonwoo smiled - the witch did not point out that the smile was cuter than a simple keychain, nor that he wasn’t certain what exactly was cute now - and held his hand out expectantly once again. The hint was easy enough to understand and Juhui was more than willing to comply as they went outside to stroll once again. 

Not too long after, he had also finished his taro, meaning only getting rid of the cup was needed. The way over to the trash can, with Wonwoo in tow, also had his eyes fall upon a smaller advertising panel put out in front of a house, proclaiming the best and most accurate fortune telling in the neighborhood. Which would be easier to believe if there was actually magic radiating from that house and if a whole Xu Minghao didn’t exist.

“Hey,” Junhui started softly, turning his eyes to his companion. The thread fluttered between them thanks to his nervousness. “What do you think about magic?”

Sensing his trail of thoughts, Wonwoo looked into the appropriate direction, raising one eyebrow at the board. “That kind of magic? Hokum. Too many people use technology to their advantage to find out about the people who visit to then tell them what they most likely want to hear. Others just lie from the very beginning and make things up.”

Something inside Junhui deflated, his magic felt like a little mouse seeking cover beneath a pile of leaves and hiding out. “So you’re saying magic doesn’t exist?”

“Is it important to you?” The gaze he received was testing, probing, and Wonwoo’s dark eyes made him feel squirmy to just receive it. “I do think magic exists. Saying it doesn’t is about as reasonable as is denying the existence of homosexuality despite the many proof saying the opposite. I just don’t think that fortune telling is effective, and even less am I of the opinion that such bluntly advertised is proper. Considering how many people still look down on magic wielders, I’d rather trust those who don’t sell themselves like that for the sake of profit.”

The witch in question hummed lowly for it was easy to understand that path of thinking. He was also aware not everyone trusted witches like that, some called them quacks or called them traitors to whatever true belief, and while it wasn’t as bad as back then, there was a reason as to why events like the Spanish Inquisition had taken place. Sure, nowadays people were more accepting and also trusting, but it didn’t mean everyone was. 

“Do you know any?” Junhui asked, stepping into the next shop they found without a care. The conversation simply made him nervous and he needed something to fiddle with, especially when he had already ran out of tea to busy himself. That it had been a Disney store, of all things, allowing him to look through useless accessories as they were for children and little tokens actually useful for every age. “Witches, I mean.”

“No” - the older’s shoulders sagged a bit - “but my mom always told me her grandmother was one. My grandmother died early but I also recall her saying that her mother never allowed her feelings to turn into negative ones. It was something the line of shouldering other people’s burdens.” Warmth flickered through their thread, trickled into it like coffee drip brewed in a can. 

The whole explanation made the witch perk up. Wonwoo being the descendant of a witch would explain the thread. Well, it did not actually but it was the slightest of clues he was willing to work with. Magic was indeed a funny thing. Sometimes blood was potent, from what Junhui had learned, mostly when it was passed down from woman to woman, from mother to daughter. Sometimes it was potent enough to skip generations in those cases. Other times it was weaker, it needed just one non-magical parent to disrupt the whole legacy and for the abilities to be lost. It was like playing russian roulette on a rainy day, it was wishy-washy and the rules weren’t clear, but the thrill and thrum of magic was everlasting nonetheless. 

“Why are you so busied with that?” The younger asked once again, tenderly bothered because the witch wasn’t even certain the other could get truly irritated. As Minghao would say, cancers don’t even get mad, they just get emotionally drained or hurt and then erupt once like a geysir. It’s explosive, looks aggressive, and then it disperses into beautiful rain and disappears like nothing ever took place. Nothing that seemed in the least likely now.

A nagging voice told him to be honest (it sounded suspiciously like Joshua’s) and come clean now, even when his guts were twisting at the mere thought of it. Another voice (suspiciously resembling Jeonghan’s) told him to just keep it to himself for a while longer, if not his whole life. Ironic, considering even Jeonghan knew Wonwoo better than Josh. So instead of an immediate answer, he held up a travel mug with a Cinderella design and queried, “Doesn’t he look like you?”

“I’m flattered, Jun, but are you telling me to get you a high heel of glass now?” Wonwoo returned, a bit teasingly, and it drove a little flush up the tan male’s cheeks. The witch just coughed and took it to the cashier, fingers tracing around the plastic lid. The younger remained patient next to him, the pressure, albeit silent, did not disappear.

Junhui waited until they were outside again, and after following the stream of people, he eventually stopped at the beginning of a little silent side street. First, he handed over the bag with the travel mug, then he took a deep breath. “I’m a witch. And-” Nearly the words toppled over his tongue, about how not only he was but Joshua too, Jeonghan too, even Wonwoo’s best friend’s business partner, read: Wonho, or several of the people who had attended the gym’s anniversary party. He held himself back in time, only looked at the younger from below, funny as it sounded when he was actually taller.

The big revelation never came, the raven haired didn’t even look surprised. That alone actually stressed Junhui all the more. “And…?” When nothing more but nervous lip chewing followed, Wonwoo turned around and slowly went on again. Only by sensing the witch did not immediately follow, he stopped and silently held out his hand. 

Not one to bite the hand that fed him, he hurried on to catch up and entwined their fingers again. There was warmth blossoming within his chest at the quiet acceptance, and the thread between them also seemed delighted by the thought. Without further ado, Wonwoo just went on, pointed out, “I think there’s a food market nearby. Should we check it out?”

“You’re fucked,” Soonyoung’s voice in his head called out and, truly, at this moment Junhui could not disagree. Maybe Minghao had been right, maybe he had found The One, maybe not, but either way, when he had put out all his cards and climbed the last wall, when the only thing occupying his mind now was whether or not the other was possibly a witch and still nothing stopping his heart from blooming big like a flower under his aunt’s hands, he couldn’t help but decide, well, he was in love. Truly and utterly in love.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


Not every day at the clinic was a working day. While they were around for emergencies most days, Joshua and Junhui had started to declare some days as _private_ days a long time ago. They were still around and took care of the little patients they needed to watch for a few days at time, but they wouldn’t accept just any walk-in clients, those days were reserved for appointments and emergencies only. Which also either meant they had a lot of paperwork to catch up on or, like today, could relax for a bit. Already could Jun scent the tender aroma of tea as he made his way up the stairs after having made sure to feed and check on all their little patients, and considering it would be accompanied by the sweet treats he had brought along on his way to work (no, he did definitely not check by the café only to get disappointed in Wonwoo being off because he had still been delighted by being able to chat with Seungcheol a bit), he could feel food motivated butterflies roam his stomach.

“Yumi is fine and Peppa tried to tear off her bandages again so I reapplied them,” he reported on the bunny and dog in their care respectively as he finished the last steps up and slipped out of his shoes. Joshua really hit jackpot with having the whole house to himself and sometimes the younger even envied him for the short way to work it included. Way better than his several bus stops although they lived in the same neighborhood. Sometimes it just had him wishing he knew a witch specialized in the arts of time and space so he’d be able to learn about teleportation and translocation from them. No matter how hard it would be, the result seemed worth the effort.

With a bit too much force, he kicked off his shoes in the entrance hall and made his way to the living room immediately, settling on the couch as he had his gaze roaming around the room to look for any recently potentially killed plant. They all looked fine but just to be sure, he let his walls down and focused his energy enough to be able to sense their little feelings. Most of them were content - surprisingly - but a few showed signs of discomfort, meaning he better pay more attention to them before Joshua had to take them to Jeonghan again. A white witch with a black thumb. It sounded like the beginning to a horrible joke but unfortunately it only described his best friend. 

In an instant, once he heard Joshua’s steps approach, he shut down the walls that cut him off from the outside feelings again. Not without catching a spark of infatuation from his best friend though, and curiously he watched the older bring in the tray with freshly brewn tea and the croissants he had brought. “They’re really good, you know? From the café Wonwoo works at and-” He focused for another moment, trying to work through the tangle sensations usually came in and guessed, “You already knew that, didn’t you?”

At times like these, his magic came in as more of a cheat code to aid him when just reading Joshua’s body language no longer sufficed. But there was a familiar dart of honey eyes to the side that gave away whatever the doctor didn’t want to say. Sooner or later, Junhui would figure out anyways - better sooner than later - so for the moment he resigned to making grabby hands at the treats that his hungry mouth was yet denied. 

Joshua’s laughter rang in his ears as Jun stretched out his hands towards the tray that had barely even been placed down, the older taking a seat opposite and reaching for his own tea, the steam flowing upwards and giving a sense of home. And if Jun recognised the blend from his new favourite establishment, well, Joshua would just have to deal with those questions later. Albeit there still was a spark of distrust kept in the younger’s eyes. “You said you’d finished up with the little guys downstairs right? Did you finally manage to convince Mrs. Choi that ‘Mrs’ Bubbles just needs a good diet and not any pregnancy medicines?”

“She called in earlier,” the Chinese agreed, to ask for yet another routine check-up went unsaid. By now, he was not sure what happened more often, some dear elder lady trying to set them up on blind dates with their daughters or granddaughters or Mrs Choi insisting her cat was pregnant. “At this point, I’m already considering to just write a false label for his nutritional supplements…” His lips unknowingly pushed into a pout at the thought of it. Unfortunately, he had never been the best at lying so he wasn’t certain he’d hold out her questioning at that time. Maybe push Hansol forth? Not kind either. Either way, it was the kind of thoughts best swallowed down with a generous bite of sweets so he reached for those, and checked for Joshua’s feelings once again. Out of curiosity, of course.

Joshua was definitely avoiding telling him something, and if the way he seemed to be covering their bond ever so slightly was anything to go by. The rope between them fluttered more dully, looked a bit worn out rather than shining with color from the intention of it. “Well, if worse comes to worse I can try and speak to her? I know that you can’t lie no matter how hard you try and sending Hansol would be absolute disaster I’m sure.” 

Ever so lightly, Junhui squinted at the older. There had, in fact, been a reason he hadn’t trusted his then roommate for a long time after declaring to be a healing witch. Joshua had always been a bit too good at putting into words those thoughts that had traveled the Chinese’s mind, and this moment was just another proof of it. “I just don’t enjoy lying to the old.” Or anyone, in fact. Which had, after all, been also the reason as to why he had come clean with Wonwoo a while ago, and with the familiar taste of magic on the back of this tongue, a remains of the tea he had nipped, he abruptly changed topic to ask, “What do you know of latent witchcraft? Or witches with, I don’t know, hidden abilities?”

Joshua raised an eyebrow, leaning back into his chair and drawing his knees up to tuck under his body, curling in like one of the cats they were taking care of downstairs. Under different circumstances, it would have the younger tempted to play with the hair he knew was soft by experience. He liked to fiddle around with it more than he should, at least when Jeonghan was around. “Latent witchcraft? I mean, it definitely exists, after all it’d be impossible for every magical family to keep their power within their bloodline unless they marry into other witch families but it’s incredibly rare…” Joshua paused, looking at Jun at little too deeply, up to the point the nurse wanted to squirm under it, before switching his gaze, “Why are you suddenly so interested anyway?” 

With the American being like this, Junhui knew there were only two possible options. Either he could lie - and they both knew he sucked at that - or he actually told the truth, and in that case he had to keep his fingers crossed Joshua wouldn’t prod further. “I think Wonwoo is one…” Eventually, there had been many reasons for him to come to this assumption. Nothing about the barista screamed witch, no aura of magic, no lingering scent of it. Yet there was too much proof to deny its absence, the tea, the thread, the uncanny ability to trace down emotions much like a psychic witch would. And then, in the end, the mention of his ancestor. Most of these things Joshua must be aware of too, so at least it would likely save him the explanation. That was a thing he was plenty tired of after university and chattering clients.

Joshua’s face turned contemplative, absentmindedly swirling the tea that was left in his cup as he clearly thought about those spoken words, “Have your bonds given you some clues? I feel like you would have more insight to him than I.” Joshua’s eyes seemed sharp when they turned back towards him. Almost as if he was trying to search his inner thoughts, the kind of prodding Junhui had never enjoyed. It was the closest his best friend could get to the psychic magic, though, and parts of the younger witch felt grateful the healer had never tried to venture into his area of expertise, unlike his own curiosity directed at all sorts of magic.

Nervously he fiddled with his mug, turned it between his fingers and then resided to allow his mind to be eased a bit by another sip of the warming fluid. Wonwoo’s magic, more so than the teas, really tasted of home, a comfort he had already connected to the other months ago. “It’s more like a thread… It’s not close to the solid bonds I have with other witches at all, so I’m just not sure whether it means he’s latent or…” He left the words hanging, a phrase that had come easier to him when it was with Minghao then now with Joshua. Rather than voicing it directly, he instead told, “Seokminnie, too, said we’re connected.”

At the admission Joshua sat up straighter, leaning closer into their shared space with a look of curiosity spreading across his face, “Seokmin even agreed you were connected?” Exhaling a low whistle he sank back down into his cat-like state, bringing his teacup up to rest near his face, letting the steam warm his nose. It was a cute sight, the way the warmth brought the slightest of red to his cheeks. “Must be pretty serious then? He wouldn’t make assumptions like that without any basis, do you feel so too? That you’re connected I mean?”

“I mean,” Junhui started, waving one hand around the air, “We are?” He had seen the thread connecting them, the way it floated around and sometimes told him about Wonwoo’s vicinity or feelings more than his actual eyes did. He just wasn’t certain whether it was the magic floating around them or actually more. The one, to put it in Minghao’s words. “How do you recognize other witches?” Because for him it was obvious, look for the ropes that were formed by magic and go by that. But only because he was a psychic and used to untangling the threads that were emotions and magic alike. “And I guess we do get along well… I’m just not certain as what to take it yet…”

Joshua let out a soft sigh, “I’m not sure… I’m no psychic witch like you are so I never feel things quite as strongly as yourself but I guess it’s like I can feel their life essence? A bit like when I heal, I can feel intrinsically what the patient needs without having to search for it and it’s similar for feeling witches? They just feel different, they feel like warmth, they feel like home.” Joshua shifted to change his position again, never being able to stay quite in one place for too long, and that, too, had originally taken Junhui some time to get used to. It could be quite bothersome during times he had wanted to focus on his studies, not Joshua’s flaunting emotions. This time opting for crossed legs and a straight back, leaning forward to deposit his empty cup back on the table and propping his arms on his knees to cradle his chin as he looked at Jun. “The tea… The tea feels different…” 

“Tastes of magic,” the nurse supplied unhelpfully. Maybe it was just more obvious to him than to others, although that would imply he’d have to ask more people about that, maybe Jeonghan or Wonwho, who surely had stopped by the café as well. Just to not stray from the topic too much again, he asked, “Did you ever feel magic around him?” Because that had been the first thing to throw him out of loop, the way he could taste magic in the tea and feel none around Wonwoo. Clearly, the mixture had been mended or prepared by someone possessing the abilities, but the only ones in contact with the plants were Jeonghan and the younger, and for sure the necromancer did not use his magic on the greens. It would be kind of counterproductive.

“It’s hard to say, I think the main problem we’re having here is that whenever we see him, he’s almost always surrounded by magic. Whether that’s our own or from others we know it’s hard for us to grasp… You especially, since you feel all too much as it is.” Joshua tilted his head to one side, as if that small movement could help to shake out his thoughts and lay them straight. Which, knowing how distracted Joshua could get when conversing, wouldn’t surprise him. “Thinking on it, he does have a slightly different vibe to him, but like I say, whether that has to do with him being around us more often I don’t know… I’d have to attempt to heal him. Healing witches or someone with even the slightest of magic feels different since their powers oftentimes flows forth to give assistance, latent or not.” 

A considering hum escaped Junhui’s throat, eyes tracing the soft ripples on the surface of his tea, only to then decide he’d rather replace it with his croissant. For some moments longer, he pondered the words, until coming to a sudden realization. “You sound as if you had met him more often than the few times he was around…” Actually, if he thought about it, Joshua shouldn’t even know Wonwoo too well. Jeonghan might, but also only because he kind of was a plant dealer to apparently every witch around. Whereas his best friend should mostly only know the teamaker from his visit as client and Mingyu’s party. There were dots in his mind pleading to be connected, yet his thoughts were meddled with after thinking about Wonwoo’s possibly latent abilities for too long. 

The recognition earlier when bringing in Seungcheol’s pastries. The mention of knowing Wonwoo, and Wonwoo being surrounded by magic. Surrounded by _their_ magic. Not only Junhui’s and Jeonghan’s but also Joshua’s own. A confused sound slipped from his lips as he watched the veterinarian with unanswered questions in his eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Joshua looked at him with narrowed eyes, it felt as though he not only knew the train of thought that Jun was having - as was already a one-sided normal for them - but also that he was trying to neatly deflect this conversation before it began. Another layer of secrecy on top of his earlier attempts at covering something or other, and Junhui had always been more curious than was good for him.

If he thought about it, and looked at the tea mugs again, it kind of made sense. “Where did you get it from?” He asked, pointing at said cups with a vague gesture, albeit the words were muffled, forced out past the croissant stuck between his lips. Food was sometimes more important than questioning his own friends. Most times, actually.

Joshua blinked, then his eyes widened a fraction, in a way that already was comical to the nurse, before he tried his usual tricks of feigning innocence. “I ran out of our usual favourite tea leaves, and I know that sometimes you’re not too fond of my blends,” he gave Jun a pointed look, “so I went to the coffeeshop that Wonwoo works at.” He shrugged as if this was barely a coincidence but Jun had a hard time trusting his words. If it were a matter that simple, it wouldn’t have been held back for so long. Although, in his defense, Joshua’s blends really didn’t taste nice to him. One more point on the list of Ironies of Joshua Hong because the medicine they manufactured had never called forth any side-effects.

“Fine,” Junhui whistled, doing his best to portray innocence on his face. “I’ll just ask Jeonghan later then.” A wild guess, like a dart thrown at the aim, but with the way both their auras had been tinted a softer pink recently, he didn’t exactly trust their vis-a-vis to not be involved in this. “Now, what do you think of these croissants?”

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


Having let out what seemed like the confession of his life, be it either coming clean in front of Wonwoo or just admitting his own feelings to himself, he thought it was a bit easier to handle whatever relationship they had. Currently that meant sitting in the coffeeshop for it was his day off and skipping through some of his family’s grimoires. Those he had been allowed to take along to Korea anyways. They mostly contained the theoretical stuff, myths and legends, researches and descriptions of everything and all they had gotten to throughout generations. All thanks to his grandmother’s great aunt, a book witch, even the grimoires were enchanted, allowing them to add new writings and pages filled with their discoveries bit by bit, without having to take a whole book apart. It also meant what once had surely been a small notebook had expanded to at least five times its size already. 

Throughout the years, he had read it all at least once, and currently he was still skipping through the pages to find the stories of latent witches. As much as talking to Joshua had helped him out, it hadn’t actually helped him at all. His boss had done little more than agreed to the possibility of it being that case without actually helping him, and if there were riddles, Junhui wanted them to be solved. The idea of just asking Jeonghan about his opinion still lingered his mind but for now he wanted to try on his own. 

Another option would be to ask Seokmin just what had Wonwoo and him connected but that, too, would answer only half the questions he had. Sure, he would know whether it had to do with soulmatery or not but it would not explain the taste of magic that glazed the back of his mouth even now, after he had taken a sip from the cup of tea his… whatever-they-were had brought him a little while ago. Albeit, checking the clock hung up behind the counter, he knew he could already close his book for Wonwoo would be on a break in a bit and had already promised to spend it around.

True to his words, the younger came around the counter manned by Seungcheol currently and already took off his apron, folding it messily to set it down on a chair before doing the same with his own body. It was a sight quite endearing, up to the point of having Junhui smile softly as he looked at the barista. “Tough day?”

“Bearable,” Wonwoo asked, his dark eyes curiously skimming over the old looking books the witch had brought along so he willingly moved them across the table. The owner was aware how much the other liked to read, but these books would phrase a new sort of challenge for they were written in traditional Chinese characters, not Hangul, and albeit the magic circling the pages filtered the sometimes messy writing into a neater shape, it would still be hard enough to read for those who only knew the textbooks versions. Even to him it sometimes posed trouble, especially with the way languages just morphed through the years, new words coming in and others getting less used. 

Silently Wonwoo skimmed the pages for some moments, evidently appreciating the looks of it, only to then state, “You’re so fluent in Korean I sometimes forget you’re not from here…” It sounded more like a passing thought spoken out loud than an intentionally left remark, but it had Junhui soaking up the praise regardless. “These are pretty old too. Did you get them from an antique’s shop?”

“They’re family keepsakes,” Junhui denied, smiling softly as he picked up his mug to take a sip from his tea. In a way, and because he treasured all of them himself, it was endearing to see the care the younger treated the books with, carefully flipping the pages despite their magical protection. 

It took only a moment, apparently, for the dark haired to understand, mind working so fast it caught the witch off guard. “I assume they’re not recipe collections then. I’m a bit disappointed now, you made me curious about the content.”

“Get on their good side and find a translation spell and they might allow you a peek.” Because magical books all had their little perks, and if they were written by quite a bunch of stubborn people, they might refuse spells made from others at times. “But there’s nothing in there I can’t tell you about myself.”

A certain glint appeared in Wonwoo’s eyes, like his attention was caught and it was familiar with the witch already, it always came up with particularly interesting conversation. “I read each witch has their area of expertise. What is yours exactly?”

The question was surprising due to the timing not the content. He was aware sooner or later it would be asked, everyone always asked witches questions. Even Hansol had, despite being tied to a magic wielder. Albeit no witch in their right mind would grant Seungkwan a certificate. “Psychic magic.” Carefully he put down his mug and elucidated, “I’m sensitive to other people’s emotions, and I can look into them as well as manipulate them if I wanted to. But it’s not exactly the kind of magic I would wish upon someone else. It can be quite-”

“Overwhelming?” Wonwoo interrupted, a sympathetic little smile on his lips. Junhui nodded in agreement. “I’ve always been good at guessing other people’s emotions but I guess what you experience must by plenty amplified then?” While speaking, he reached for the cup of tea to take a sip, and the witch just silently watched on as his mug was taken without protest.

“I didn’t like it as a kid,” he answered honestly, directing his sight at his fingers fiddling with his sleeves. “It takes a while to blur out the feelings of other people so when your magic blooms, it’s just…” He wriggled his hands next to his head, trying to signal just how much it could be. “Burdening.”

“But now you can?”

“Now I can.”

Their little conversation came to a slow halt, comfortable silence settling between them. Without getting prompted to, Junhui was not certain how much he should still explain. Wonwoo was literate, he might know plenty about the world of witches that so calmly coexisted with the world of normal humans already, and any questions he did have, he would ask. It allowed the Chinese to relax, feeling not burdened to lead a talk they might not even need. 

After a while of just sitting like that, quietly sharing the tea and with Wonwoo sometimes tapping his shoe against Junhui’s, the latter felt it was easy to just drown in their little mood, to enjoy the bubble that seemed to be forged around them to drown out outside noises and interruptions. It was not tranquil or serene but, in a way, it still comfortably fit.

When Wonwoo spoke up again, it was nearly unexpected, and especially the content of his words. “Your boss and Jeonghan came by a few times recently. They aren’t dating, are they?”

The older slightly widened his eyes in surprise. So Joshua actually- He cut off his own thought, already making a mental note to himself to squeeze the truth out of his best friend as soon as possible, and then passed it forth in favor of answering the other with a subtle shake of his head. “They like each other. But Joshua… is shy. And Jeonghan-hyung enjoys the teasing too much,” he explained sincerely. “It’s been that way ever since we opened the clinic, I think…”

“They flirted with Seungcheol-hyung too,” Wonwoo pointed out, at quite the worst of times as Junhui nearly choked on a sip of tea. His eyes immediately darted over to the owner of the shop but, busy with orders, he had no idea what was going on right now. “They’re interesting to observe.”

“I can imagine,” Junhui agreed automatically, albeit, admittedly, it was a bit much to wrap his mind around. Joshua, it seemed, had a lot to explain now. Then, he frowned lightly, eyebrows drawn together as he wondered, “Why did they suddenly decide to come here, though? Josh hasn’t managed to ask Jeonghan out so far and now like that…”

Wonwoo could do little more than shrug his shoulders in response. If anything, he was a latent witch, as much of a mind-reader as Junhui was, so the questions seemed to be useless unless they were directed at those who could answer them. Still, the younger spoke up again on the matter, “I think I have a tea that could help them out… Would it be unfair to meddle in their affairs?”

It was cute, the way the barista thought asking for permission like that would be sufficient. It made the witch’s heart squeeze in adoration, yet he shook his head in denial. “They played around long enough.” Unfortunately, he could not do it, his magic was all too easily detected by both his senior witches and even if he untangled the threads of their emotions, it wouldn’t mean they would jump into action. Quite a complicated situation indeed.

The younger smiled softly, and, after another sip of tea, unfortunately had to declare an end to his break time. Junhui didn’t actually mind that much, at least he still got to watch over his crush, so he just shooed him off, and, just to be a tease, focused enough of his magic to create a little spark as he fooled around by acting like snapping the other away. Wonwoo, as expected, looked a bit surprised, but that expression soon melted into a tender smile before having to turn around and go back to his post.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


“I can’t believe you abandoned your computers only to sit down in front of one again,” Junhui joked in lieu of a greeting as he dropped in the chair next to Jihoon’s in the computer café they usually met at, during those rare times the younger was actually fine with moving out and leaving his home. The producer called it a menace, Junhui insisted a breath of fresh air had never hurt anyone before. Even then, they rather went to one close to Jihoon’s home rather than the witchy neighborhood in the suburbs that the magic wielder lived in. 

Jihoon, actually, might be one of the few fully human friends in their circle who was entirely aware of their heritage, mostly owed to the fact he had been kind of co-raised by a bunch of witches himself. One way or another, they had equipped him with a charm that recognized the magic surrounding him, signaling him there were not only those with abilities around, but a certain color scheme even gave away their tendencies to an extent. And albeit their inherent crafts had not been the reason Jihoon had found a place in their then smaller cycle that, to a fault, had been formed by the university’s dance club, but it sure had aided their forging a bond over the fact it had never become a hindrance either.

Unsurprisingly, a witch and a human being friends was not uncommon, but it was neither entirely easy. Magic had a way of lingering, and like an urge to eat and drink, their instincts called them to use them. So if the odd combination of wanted to create a relationship that would last the years and not just last as a shallow one, sooner or later it was the wiser option to come clean. Jihoon, with his already there knowledge, simply had eased that step, accepting them without any off questions, all thanks to magic already having surrounded his life before them.

“As if you were any better than me,” the younger huffed but refrained from entering a new game round in favor of waiting for Junhui to join in. “The idiot didn’t want to join you today?”

“Kids tired him out too much,” the witch replied, allowing the game to load in the background while checking the café’s menu over the intranet. As funny as it sounded, for an eternal fire burned bright within Hoshi’s veins, even their overly motivated friend had a day of wanting to just relax every once in a while. And one thing for sure, a bunch of smaller animals were easier to take care of than over two dozen toddlers, regardless of having a second caretaker or not. “But he said he’ll drag us out before you rot away in your cave. His words, not mine.” And as harsh as they might sound, everyone knew they were in good humor, usually spoken with a smile and brightness that forbid them to get upset, like, anytime. 

“Firedemons belong to hell,” Jihoon huffed under his breath, a nickname that had settled a long time ago and to the producer, who shied too much human interaction mostly always, a kindergarten would easily become hell. No one sane had the energy to endure that anyways. Those were the last words they spoke on that topic, followed by a short question on Junhui’s side whether the other wanted something to eat or drink too, and then they were already entering a game.

Busied by the clicking of keys and the progress of the game, there was little time to lead proper conversation. Mostly there were just short questions of “How did it go with work?” (Jihoon had written yet another debut song for an upcoming idol group along with half their mini album whilst Junhui had only told about Mrs Choi’s supposedly pregnant cat), “Did you hear from our friends?” (Jihoon, unsurprisingly, hadn’t heard much and Junhui could only update on gossip about Joshua’s love life, too) or “Any new developments?”

The last question especially hit home, for the witch was not exactly certain how to reply to it. Whilst he had been somewhat of a flirt in university, it had never been anything that went past teasing words and maybe a drink in a bar, meaning he also wasn’t certain how most of his friends took to love life updates. And although Seokmin had kind of spilled the beans amongst the chaos trio already, Joshua knew barely based on their tightly knit friendship while keeping any sort of secrets was a matter of impossibility with Minghao’s abilities, none of that had happened of his own accord. It was his own misfortune it just about happened as their game came to an end, and Jihoon had always been better at snooping out the truths others wanted to hide than was good. 

“So… new developments?” The producer repeated, intrigued glint in his eyes the about any thing that gave away his emotions on the otherwise mostly empty face. Like a parody of about any bad movie villain, he turned in his chair, to be able to face Junhui who had never been entirely comfortable under the scrutinizing gazes of his friends. Just like now. If only he could physically squirm without looking like a slaughtered squid, he’d readily do it right then. 

“I… might have met someone?” It seemed like a vast understatement to the involvement he already shared with Wonwoo, and yet like the only way he was able to approach the topic. Disregarding a few dates he had been set up to by other people, the last time he had been serious about someone had been during his high school days. It left quite a few things to speak about. 

“I’ve already known you might turn out to be a fool spending time with Hoshi,” Jihoon started, a little scoff to his words but eyes filled with warmth, “But now you might just turn into a fool in love… Make sure to break his heart first if it comes down to it. I bet it would turn out to be quite an ugly sight if he dares hurt you.” Like an unspoken truth between them, Junhui knew that was not about him. After all, one reason as to why he had not turned out to be a veterinarian himself but only a nurse was because the idea of hurting someone, even if it was meant to help them, was painful to him too. So the threat never included him, rather it described the readiness of Jihoon’s to jump in in case of his hurt, or Hoshi’s burning passion towards guarding his friends, and others, too, like Jeonghan or Seungkwan were not to be underestimated. Even though Jeonghan might find himself in a pinch at the time Wonwoo and Junhui had a fall out.

“I was actually hoping we could avoid breaking hearts altogether,” Junhui admitted honestly, already turning back to his screen but as Jihoon made no moves to imitate him or get the game started himself, the older had to forego the idea as well. Instead, he reached for his black bean noodles to take a bite, while waiting for the end of the conversation that both went easier than expected but made him feel kind of awkward regardless of all.

The smaller hummed in low agreement and payed him an assessing look again, before turning to the computer himself. “Is he like you? Or does he only know about it?” An indirect way of showing worry, and Junhui dearly appreciated it. Witches, still, while not being entirely antagonized, were about as socially accepted as was homosexuality in these parts, after all. It wasn’t like he couldn’t understand it, magic could be intimidating, more than sexuality ever could, and not all wielders were meaning only good, but there always were the good and the bad. Eventually, they would fit in too, and until then, he could at least try to not worsen their image by any of the deeds he did.

“He knows.” The witch answered honestly, then, like an afterthought, added, “He took it with ease. And he hasn’t brought it up a lot either so it doesn’t make me uncomfortable.”  
Jihoon made a little agreeing noise, then started a new round for them. “Name?”

That little question marked the beginning of an easygoing little interrogation, in between stressing about not losing the game and taking quick bites of their snacks. Only when Jihoon felt satisfied, he let up, and it also marked the end of their gaming session. But a little part of Junhui still felt at ease with the fact the younger asked him to come home with him for a drink. One drink there soon became two, became three, and before he realized, they both were already too drunk to do little more than turn off the TV and cuddle into blankets on the couch. Evenings like these, they were a nice emulation of their college times, when they had had more time for each other and weren’t taken in by work quite as much as nowadays. It was a memento Junhui knew to appreciate again and again, regardless of whose of his friends he was with, and it was also the thought that allowed him to drift into a soothing and dreamless state of sleep.

  


──☆•*¨*•.¸¸.━★

  


It wasn’t the first time Junhui had come over for dinner, in fact, since the first time, it had happened a handful more. Which didn’t mean he couldn’t feel giddy about it regardless, as the buzzer bumbled and he made his way up to Wonwoo’s apartment with a jump to his step. The bag with takeout dinner rustled in his hands from where it was jostled around more than did it good but considering it would end up a scrambled mess in their mouths anyways, he didn’t mind all that much actually. 

The thread connecting them, the one that had gotten stronger with their increase of meetings - and Junhui felt more than tempted to call them dates despite neither of them having declared them as such - danced around in joy, disappearing through the door he was rapping his knuckles against. If only it could, the witch was certain the red string would pull Wonwoo closer if it so could just so its existence would no longer be hindered by a door. 

When the door opened, the thread already danced gleefully around the air, and just or a second it was distracting him, as he tried to calm it down by magic. Wonwoo patiently passed the few seconds it lasted and if that wasn’t enough to make Jun’s heart skip a beat, the sight of the younger much definitely was. Black hair tousled and eyes looking smaller behind his glasses, the maybe-witch looked all sorts of endearing. Or like straight out of some cheesy high school romance comic. Either way, it wasn’t good for his heart, yet he couldn’t help ask, “Did I wake you up?” It sure did look like it, after all.

The slightest of tilt to the side or downwards signaled Wonwoo wasn’t sure whether to nod or shake his head, eventually, he settled on a little shrug. “I think I dozed off for a bit. Perhaps I made myself the wrong concoction for tea.” A sheepish little laughter followed, it seemed nearly unfit for the younger’s looks but looks could, as was known, be deceiving. And Wonwoo with his cold looks and warm heart was the very epitome of that saying. 

A little step to the side was all it needed and Junhui was inside, with the host taking the bags of food off him in favor of having Tracer curl around his legs in form of a greeting. His fingers took swift changes between ruffling her fur between the ears and undoing his shoelaces, until he was finally able to pick her up, her lithe little form crawling up his shoulder as she tried to get as close to him as possible.

“Should we warm the food up a bit?” Wonwoo asked from the open kitchen area, getting them the few utensils they needed. Junhui just shook his head in return. “You can turn the TV on if you want to. I just didn’t have the patience to look for something yet.”

“You dozed off,” the witch pointed out, good humor in his tone that could not be lost when he had such an eager cat in his lap. It was especially nice to observe how Tracer, throughout the prior weeks after her visit at the clinic, had become more cheerful in disposition. By now, it seemed, she was back to her original behavior, at least if the way Wonwoo didn’t even blink an eye at her jumping around gave anything away. 

“Got me.” The younger smiled softly, and made his way back to the couch with a tray that held the different dishes spread out and the tools they needed to eat and drink. Easily domesticity and coziness filled the air, with the TV running in the back and Junhui desperately trying to defend his food from Tracer’s greedy clutches while Wonwoo just watched on.

There was something inherently calming about Wonwoo’s place that further supported this feeling. The plants, albeit a lot were at Joshua’s too, held more of an underlying happiness that bestowed a soothing sensation about the rooms, the kind that was obvious despite the witch’s raised walls. Tracer, on the other hand, with her liveliness and youth made it seem cheerful, it provided a little spark to the ease that undeniably would overcome anyone coming here. And while the Chinese was, despite it being a tradition of his home country, not all that familiar with the arts of Feng Shui, he felt certain it was implemented in an eminent manner. Add in the food factor and the few cups of Soju they shared, and undoubtedly Junhui felt himself relax into the cushions of the couch.

Maybe he had done so a bit too much even, throughout their light conversation that mostly considered of commenting on the movie and how unrealistic some of the fighting scenes and special effects were, further aided by the older’s comments on how witches were not appropriately portrayed. There was only one, actually, and while it held quite the Mission Impossible flair, instead of advanced technology, the antagonist was aided by a witch with morphing charms. Tertiary magic like that wasn’t quite as easy, more intricate than the movie made it seem, and it was these things Junhui pointed out, apparently much to Wonwoo’s delight. Much like when reading an interesting book, he could observe how the younger’s dark eyes sparked with interest whenever a bit of information was shared, the kind that was not easy to access unless someone actually knew a witch.

Witches, still, liked to keep their craftsmanship hidden. Not unlike a particularly skilled painted teaching his secrets only to his students, or businessmen rarely writing about the means to succeed, there were arcana about their abilities families liked to keep to themselves, unless their offspring fell out of line. Junhui’s own mother hadn’t been a psychic, and because they hadn’t known one, it had taken years for him to master how to envision his magic and handle it. Others, like Seers, had an advantage, their knowledge was passed down from generation to generation and Minghao’s own specialization in Tarot had been born from his great-grandmother learning such while traveling to Europe and learning in a Seer’s house for several years there. From there on, it had simply been passed from generation to generation, and the same sets of cards had been used ever since. 

Books about witches were surficial, one couldn’t possibly scratch more than the surface on the arts of magic. Not unlike each painter handling a brush in their own way, each writer phrasing words a tang different, witches had their own ways to materialize and visualize their magic, or how to perceive it. When he had first told so to Wonwoo, the younger had been nothing short of surprised, and then it had just piqued his interest, combined with a patience Junhui dearly appreciated. There hadn’t been question upon question, but every once in a while, sometime with calculation and sometimes out of the blue, there might be one or another query as well. 

Somehow, the Chinese had settled in the corner of the couch, a throw pillow clutched to his chest and legs a tangled mess that had somehow also interlaced with Wonwoo’s from where the younger had his stretched out well. That neither of them had pulled it back just yet evidently spoke of how comfortable they both were with it, and if not that, then the way their thread had curled around their feet and legs like corkscrew curled present ribbons. 

“What are you looking at?” Wonwoo asked, one of those questions that might be out of the blue but Junhui also thought it was long since overdue. Sometimes looking into empty space definitely wasn’t perfectly normal and to not have been questioned about it so far seemed more intriguing than being asked.

“A thread,” he answered, in the simplified manner, and noticed with amusement that the younger’s gaze darted over to search for such. “It’s how I see magic, mostly.” Because the exception was applied magic of others, like the way he tasted it in the tea, or when he perceived Joshua’s as a subtle glow. “When I look through people’s emotions, it’s like threads that come undone. And it’s how I know of other witches. Magic recognizes magic and then it takes the shape of strings connecting this other person with me.”

A few seconds of silence formed in between them, the thread pulsing in a pensive blue. Not the dreary, feeling blue shade, a more lively one, like electricity in movies as it ran through cables. Then, “If you say you see a thread, you mean there is one between the two of us?”

Junhui hummed in agreement, head propped against the couch backrest. Had it always felt heavy like that? “It can mean two things,” he muttered, wriggling his fingers that were put up in a count, “You could be my soulmate, which Seokmin had kind of hinted at. Or you’re another witch, and that thought had my mind running in circles recently…”

“And your conclusion?” 

“You’re not one.” It had honestly taken him a while to come to this conclusion, and in the end, the crucial reason had been that any magic strong enough to qualify one as witch would have already showed itself, like a shrewd bird escaping its cage, trying to hold water in a bucket full of water. Eventually it would pour out, show itself in its own little way. And just having it drip into tea did not signal it sufficiently. “But you might be latent. If you have a blood-related daughter, she might even end up being a witch herself.”

“While that is a nice thought,” Wonwoo started with a little smile, and Junhui might be a bit too distracted by the wiggling toes brushing against his calves, “I’m afraid it’s a thought I have to push aside for now. It’s not a woman I’m currently interested in, Jun.”

Under the intense gaze he received, he felt his cheeks instantly flush a soft red. He didn’t even need to read emotions to know what it meant, he had received one too many confessions to not recognize it. Immediately his gaze fell upon Wonwoo’s eyes, calmly resting on his stomach, entwined and relaxed, a picture perfect contrast to his own fingers fiddling with the pillow. His lips parted to release the words he wanted to say, albeit it felt more difficult than he would have thought. So, instead of saying it outright, he just sent a pulse of loving warmth towards the younger, who jerked in surprise, clearly not having anticipated a confession in magical form. Even though it worked, as assuming by the content smile he received. 

“Should we maybe move to bed? I don’t think you’ll be able to get home today anymore…” The host pointed out and for the first time Junhui became aware of the soft pitter patter of raindrops knocking against the window glass. Only it wasn’t all that gentle, didn’t sound like Hansol hoping not to interrupt anything more like the angry resident assistant who had bothered Joshua and him once too often for no reason at all. Mostly it was nothing, just for whatever reason they had always been the one to blame. Well, there were reasons.

With wide eyes the witch turned to the dark-haired and pointed out, “I can sleep on the couch too! I don’t want to intrude on your or anything so-”

“No can do,” Wonwoo hummed in denial and got up. Diligently the TV was turned off and their leftovers carried away whilst it was all Junhui could do to get up, fatigue from a long week and the few drinks he had had having made his bones heavier than he’d like to admit. From the kitchen, the younger called, “Might I mention, now that we got our situation cleared, I’m not willing to let you go home the next time you come over either? Or the one after?”

Somewhat startled, the witch looked at him, not having anticipated such direct advance in flirting, that could do little more than drive the redness high onto his cheekbones. But Wonwoo only smiled it off, instead grabbed his hand to pull him to the bathroom were he was handed a spare toothbrush and, little later, received a change of clothes. It didn’t actually take him long to get to bed, even less for Tracer to join him and, playing around with her, it was easy to lose track of time. Until the younger turned off the light and approached the bed, the little light of the lamp on the nightstand granting a gentle glow to their setting. 

With a little pained mewl the older turned onto his side, just so he could look at the other, and pulled Tracer against his chest, asking, “When you said we got our situation cleared…”

“You like me,” Wonwoo declared simply, mimicking his movements soundlessly so they could face each other, “And I like you. So the next reasonable step would be to call you my boyfriend, right?”

“Right…” Junhui muttered a bit flustered, eyes wide in the dark as he took in the others looks. Hair tousled again and slightly wet at the roots surrounding his face, a tender glisten to it, and cheeks not the least colored unlike his own. “So you’re my-”

“Boyfriend?” Wonwoo asked, and Junhui nodded. With a little smile, the younger reached for his hand, pulling it up to his lips for a gentle kiss pressed against his knuckles. “I’d like that very much, yes.” Freed from the kiss, their fingers naturally entwined and settled in the little space between them. It made the witch smile as he looked at it, despite feeling a bit embarrassed under the intense gaze he received.

“Turn off the light? Let’s sleep?” He proposed quietly, and the younger obediently moved around. No more teasing, luckily, but very much a soothing silence between them, and albeit this time around Junhui very much would enjoy to keep track of their thread dancing around between them, the alcohol and comfort of a warm bed very easily had him dozing off the sleep. The idea of not being alone when he woke up was all the more of a blessing he looked forward to.

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, to all those of you who came this far, I'm glad you finished it all and I hope you did enjoy it.  
> If you have any questions I did not yet answer, I have a [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/starrymeis) for you to shoot me some but I'd also be happy about comments all the same! Though, I keep wanting to do a little drabble challenge on cc, so if you have any thoughts/ideas/headcanons you'd like to see written out, please don't hesitate to contact me? (´｡• ω •｡`) I also do have a [twitter](https://twitter.com/starrymeis) in case some of you care?
> 
> ☆ There's actually a scene Gems co-wrote with me (perks of google docs) but I'm curious whether someone noticed? this will also be part of a series later on so please look forward to Gems' and our shared part each!  
> ☆ I can't write endings but did anyone notice? ٩(× ×)۶  
> ☆ I mentioned four different groups of people, being: _witches_ , who are born with natural magic and use it directly, albeit with different specialties; _seers_ , who can, as the name says, only see, like Minghao does with possible futures and Seokmin does with souls and their bonds; _alchemists_ , who can't use magic directly but can alter the laws of nature while making use of scientific methods; _humans_ , who just, well, don't hold any magic  
> ☆ Junhui went to university and stayed as dorm partners with Joshua; they later on found their own clinic  
> ☆ I mentioned Renjun because I saw that video of Minghao pointing out Junhui's northern accent again and I love my Juns so I couldn't help myself  
> ☆ And I mentioned Wonho because I read a tweet saying Wonho could benchpress Joshua, apaprently, and it was actually also that tweet that gave us so many stupid ideas that I was simply catapulted into starting writing this ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ (one of them might or might not have been _protein soup_ because I can't do things normal)  
> ☆ I noticed now, all the more, I really like to use a pattern of love interest - friend - love interest - friend in my scene allocation but it allows me to give a better view of their life so I hope it was still delightable!  
> ☆ I've jumped thoughts, ideas and directions so often, and in between lost track of them, if any of you felt confused or as if it were repetitive, I feel actually sorry (シ. .)シ As I said, writing this over a long time was not really the smartest of my ideas...


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